


Frozen Hearts

by The_Ronin28



Category: Frozen (2013), Tangled (2010)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Dark, Bisexual Rapunzel (Disney), Crossover, Disney, Disney Movies, F/F, F/M, Gen, Lesbian Elsa (Disney), Magic, Minor Character Death, Revenge
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-12
Updated: 2020-05-19
Packaged: 2020-06-27 05:05:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 28,352
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19783858
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Ronin28/pseuds/The_Ronin28
Summary: The story is about Elsa who loses her mother to ships from Corona. Elsa decides to enact revenge on those responsible: King Frederick of Corona and his family. When Elsa travels to Corona to avenge her mother, she is captured. This is where she learns of a great threat that affects both Corona and Elsa herself. She decides to work together with Rapunzel and her friends to stop this threat, but she faces some unexpected consequences along the way.





	1. The Birth of a Legend

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! This is my very first work of fan fiction EVER! If you guys have tips, advice or plot holes in the story that don't quite make sense, please comment down below and help me out! Also, this work contains easter eggs for Frozen, Tangled, Tangled: The Series and some other stuff (just for fun). Not everything in this one, but through the chapters. Beside that, I hope that everyone who does and those who do not read this, have a great time!

Unanticipated weather buried the city with crystals of ice on the winter solstice. This also happened to be the birthday of Elsa, daughter of Agnarr and Iduna and princess to the kingdom of Arendelle. The kingdom was filled with laughter that day, and for good reason, for the King and Queen had wanted a child for many years now. With her blond, almost white hair and sparkling blue eyes she was an absolute vision and she was dearly beloved by her parents and kingdom. Life was great, right until exact 3 and half years later. That day, on the summer solstice, life became even better. Anna, Elsa’s sister was born and once more, the kingdom rejoiced. Where Elsa’s hair was white, Anna had beautiful, auburn hair and although they were quite different, Anna and Elsa became as close as possible and life truly could not be more perfect.

It was the 6th of January when Elsa was woken up. “Elsa, wake up! Look, it has snowed tonight! Do you want to play?” Sleepy, she opened her eyes and saw Anna, packed in warm clothes, jumping up and down while yelling. Snowed? Snowed! She instantly was up, threw her blanket away and looked out of the window. And yes, she could see the palace yard with a big blanket of white snow. She jumped out of bed, and found a pile of warm clothes next to her bed. Of course, her servant girl must have put them there. Without further ado, she quickly put on the clothes and was almost pulled of her feet when Anna grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the room, into the hallway. Together, they ran as fast as they could. Once in the yard, her five-year-old sister dropped in the snow, pumping her arms and legs up and down, making snow angels. Almost immediately she rose, grabbed a handful of snow and threw it toward Elsa. Elsa was all this time just standing, enjoying the winter air. With closed eyes, she never saw the snowball coming. With a groan, she staggered back. After wiping the snow of her face, she kneeled, grabbed some snow herself and threw it in Anna’s direction. It missed only a few inches. In the snowball fight that followed, both girls took a few hits. Elsa didn’t care. For some reason, the cold never bothered her much, and for a while, nothing but laughter sounded from the open field.

About half an hour later, the two girls walked back in the palace, completely soaked and with smiles on their faces. After they changed their wet clothes, they went to have some breakfast.

“I’m sorry we are late, Dad.” Anna and Elsa had just walked in the dinner room and found their parents waiting for them. “Anna said it snowed so we went out to play.” Her mom and dad looked at each other and started laughing. “Don’t worry, darling. Just eat quickly so you can get out there again.” Elsa smiled and dug in her breakfast. Within twenty minutes they stood in the snow again, in dry clothes and ready to do whatever they wanted. Anna looked at her sister. “Elsa, do you wanna build a snowman?”

Elsa frowned. She just couldn’t find the right one. She has been looking for over fifteen minutes and couldn’t find a nice arm for their snowman. She watched Anna, who was also looking, ten metres away. Elsa smiled wickedly. If only she had a snowball now. She could just throw it perfectly to… Then she felt it. A feeling, but more. A force from inside her, like ice in her veins. Like electricity, crackling to every nerve in her body. A seemingly bottomless well of pure power. It made its way to her hands, her fingertips. Elsa held her breath. In her hands, these blue lights appeared. And with it, a bit of that power. That power grew and grew until it became clearer. A snowball, the one she wanted, now lay in her hands. She stared at it, not believing what just happened. Then, she screamed.

“This. Is. Amazing.” Anna was pacing before Elsa, who was sitting on a bare stump, half in shock. “It’s just like all the fairy tales Mom tells us!” Elsa only heard half of it. Magic. That it what this had to be. Magic. “But, I thought all magic died out hundreds of years ago.” “Well, maybe but now it’s back and we can play in the snow all the time! Do it again!” Elsa sighted. This was the 3e time Anna asked her. She closed her eyes and went deep inside herself. There it was, that well. She took a handful and thought of a snowball. The magic reacted immediately and a snowball formed in her hand. She opened her eyes, looked at the snowball and gave it to Anna. This would explain why she never felt much of the cold. “We have to tell Mom and Dad. This is important.” What they would do if they found out… she rather not think about it. “I know we have to tell them,’ Anna exclaimed,’ but can we play just a little bit longer? This is so much fun!” Elsa smiled about her sister’s enthusiasm. Maybe this was not such a bad thing.

After they were done playing, Elsa went straight to a room where she was alone. She sat whit her back against the wall and stared at her hands. Magic. There was a reason why there was no more magic, she knew. Magic was dangerous. Those who knew to control it were usually corrupted by it, making some of the worst criminals Arendelle had ever seen. Those who could not control it… they usually ended up hurting everyone around them, and went into exile. Elsa took a few deep, calming breaths. “You can do this,” she whispered to herself. “You can control this and remain normal. All you have to do is bring it easy to Mom and Dad. You’ve got this”

During dinner Elsa said as little as she could, trying not to focus attention on herself. Anna, on the other hand, was basically jumping up and down in her seat, looking not so subtle to Elsa and waiting for it to happen. Elsa shook her head ever so lightly to Anna, trying to tell her ‘not now’. She looked disappointed, but kept her mouth shut. _After dinner_ , Elsa thought by herself. _After dinner I will tell them._

Elsa stood in front of the door. Behind it were her mom, dad and Anna waiting for her because she said she had some big announcement to make. She took a deep breath, straightened her back and walked reluctantly in the room. It was a cosy room. Two comfortable chairs and a couch. A warm fire crackled in the fireplace, warming the chamber. All eyes were on her. “So honey,” Agnarr, her dad, said. “What is this important thing that you wanted to tell us about? I have to say, I am very curious.” “Yes,” her mom, Iduna, added. “Don’t worry, dear. You know you can tell us everything, right?” “Well,” Elsa started. “I… ehm…” “Elsa has magic!” Anna blurted, interrupting Elsa. Her parents stared at Anna, then at Elsa. “Is this true, honey?” her father asked. Elsa looked at the floor. “Yes, yes it is,” she whispered. She closed her eyes, created a snowball and threw it up, where it exploded in a thousand snowflakes. Now her parents straight up gaped at her, eyes wide open. Iduna recovered first. “Well, honey. That is… unexpected. her mom said, smiling forced while looking very worried at her father. “Yes,” he said. “When did this happen, darling?” Before Elsa could answer, Anna shouted, “Just this afternoon! Isn’t it fantastic? It’s so beautiful.” The king and queen exchanged a look and started whispering. Now Elsa really got worried. She just hoped they wouldn’t lock her up in her room for years, not being allowed to see anyone. They turned towards her. “Elsa, listen to us. You need to know that magic is very dangerous and you should use it not to often, especially with anyone else beside us four. But as long as you can keep it under control, we don’t see any threats.” Elsa sighted in relieve. They were not going to lock her up! “We are very glad that you came to us. And you must always remember that we love you.” Her parents looked at Anna. “Both of you.” Elsa couldn’t keep it any more. She ran toward her parents and gave them a hug. Anna joined not a second later. At that moment, Elsa realized, that as long as they stayed together she would be totally OK.

_A year and a half later_

Elsa hesitated. She knew that was she was doing was wrong, but if this was would she thought it would be, she had to hear it. She snuck in the next hallway. Only five doors away now. She walked as quietly as she could toward the doors of her father’s office. Once there, she listened at the keyhole. Elsa had overheard two guards talking, saying that the king and queen more and more frequently talked about the crown princess’ condition. They had thought she had some sort of disease, but Elsa was ten now. She had a right to now what this was about.

“Agnarr, stop pacing. You’re making me nervous.” A woman’s voice. Her mother. “You should be nervous. I mean, at first it was OK, but now this is getting out of hand. Her ‘accidents’ happen more and more often now. My councilmen tripping on ice and breaking their bones, guards catching colds whenever she is near. And I have not even started about all the times she is scared, mad, worried or stressed. We need to find a cure.” A cure. Her father thought she had to be cured. Was he right? No way, right? But… all the things he said, about the councilmen, the guards, when her emotions got the better of her. She was hurting them. Not on purpose maybe, but she was. “What if they play and she loses control, Iduna. Then what? She could kill Anna.” Elsa swallowed. Kill her sister? Never! But than again, she did not have that much control over her powers. If she was not careful, she just might. And it scared her. Her powers scared her. A sight from behind the door. “You’re right. She needs a cure. But where would we find one?” They were right. She was dangerous and she needed a cure. Until then, she just had to stay away from people as much as she could.

In the months that followed, Elsa came more often to that door. And every night, she could here her parents getting more and more desperate. They brought in healers, ‘magicians’; they even took her to see the trolls in the mountains. But nothing helped. Nothing could take away her powers. So instead, she stayed in her room, away from anyone she could hurt. Occasionally, she would play with Anna, who was now seven, but those moments became rarer and rarer. The very moment she thought about her magic the air went cold around her, the floor would be covered in ice and whatever she touched would become frozen in an instant. One night, Elsa would hear her parents talk about foreign cures, but there was nothing they hadn’t tried already. So one night, she would sneak to the door and heard something very interesting. Her mother had found an old book; a book with legends, and one of these legends described a magical flower that could heal almost everything. This legend was from a neighbouring country called ‘Corona’ and her mother was already packing for the journey ahead. She couldn’t go as queen, so she had to be undercover. They had a place on a trading ship, with whom she could sail. The following day, her father said to her and Anna that their mother would be away some time, to go look for something that could help Elsa.

_Some time later_

_It is so quiet_ , Elsa thought. _These days, it is always quiet._ It has been a month since her mother left, and they had not heard a single word from her. Yet, Elsa could feel somehow that there was something seriously wrong.

It was almost time for bed when their father came in. Elsa had a good day and had been playing with Anna for some time now. She yawned and stood up, ready to go to bed when her dad came in. He held a letter in his fist and his eyes were red, like he had been crying. He sat down in a chair and told Elsa and Anna to gather around. He rubbed his eyes and sighted. “You know your mother has been away for some time now. I just received word about her and it is not good. An informant of mine heard a sailor brag about a smuggler ship they sank. He looked into it and discovered more. The ship carried weapons for the Separatists of Saporia, an organization bent on destroying Corona. However, the king had known about this ship and sent out a fleet to sink it. They had orders to do ‘whatever was necessary’ to sink the ship. The ship would be coming from Arendelle.” The temperature around them dropped ten degrees when Elsa started to figure out where this story was heading. She could barely withhold a sob. Anna looked like she was completely unaware of everything. “This sailor said that the smugglers tried to take hostages and get away. The captain of the fleet took the decision, however, to sacrifice the passengers on the ship to save his country from a civil war and sank the ship. There were no survivors.” He took an unsteady breath. “Your mother was on this ship.”

Dead. Her mom was dead. Elsa couldn’t quite comprehend it. It just felt so… unreal. Elsa looked around in a haze. Anna was silently sobbing, alone in her thoughts. But her father… Where her father was first complete and utter sadness, he was now silent, staring at something only he could see and in his eyes, in his eyes, Elsa saw the rage and anger in them. Suddenly, he turned toward her. “Elsa, you who’s fault this is, right?” She froze. He couldn’t mean her. It was not her fault, it was… “It is the fault of the king of Corona, the bastard who gave the order,” he continued. A light now shone in his eyes, a fire. “That king could have done anything he wanted, but he chose to sink that ship. He chose to kill her.” He’s right, Elsa realized. Her mother was dead because of that damned king. A rage, all consuming and devouring, rose within her. The same rage, she now understood, that was in her father. The floor, which was covered in ice, defrosted. The temperature rose again and Elsa could feel that with that rage came focus, and therefor control. Her dad, still looking at her, saw all this happen and something flickered in his eyes. “But together, Elsa,” he said,” together we can avenge her. We can make the king pay for all the grieve he has caused us. You’re magic is powerful and useful, I see that now. And I know that you can hone in it into something that can bring justice to your mother. But in order to do so, you need to be willing to do whatever it takes. You need to be willing to make hard decisions. Do you think you can do that? For her?” Elsa took a few deep breaths and nodded. That rage in her became an inferno, a storm of fire, ready to wipe away anyone who got in the way of her revenge. Hone herself in something that can bring justice. She would hone herself into a weapon unlike the world had ever seen before. “I can do that, for mom. I swear that no matter how long it might take, no matter the cost, I will take revenge on that king. If I have to destroy myself in the process, fine. But I will kill the king and everyone he loves.” And the moment she said it, she felt nothing. No regret, no hesitation, nothing. There was nothing in her, but unforgiving ice. She looked into her father eyes, and smiled.

**Anna**

Dead. Her mom was dead. She started sobbing, uncontrollably. So much, she nearly missed her father talking to Elsa. Nearly. But she almost wished that she had. She heard what he said, and fear struck in her heart when she realized what he wanted Elsa to do. But, Elsa would never do that. Her big sister, with who she could play and have fun, would never do something that horrible. But Elsa nodded and smiled, and Anna knew that the girl who smiled, was not the sister she knew. For the first time in forever, Anna feared what her sister’s magic could do.


	2. Ready as I'll ever be

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter is a bit longer than the last one. I am not absolutely sure that this is the only one this long, but I don't think this will be the new standard. I am sorry for the huge time gaps in this chapter, but I had to bring Elsa from 10 years old to 21 years old. the next chapters will not have time gaps this big. if any at all, they will be 2 weeks long. the reason I did not post for 3 weeks was because I was on a vacation and the next chapter will be posted much, much sooner than this one (but no promises). as always, comment down below any pro's and cons and have fun!

It was 7 o’clock when Elsa entered the courtyard. When she had made her promise last night, her father wanted to begin immediately. So here she was, early in the morning and ready to start. Even the thought about her mother, the King of Corona or the conversation last night woke up the smouldering fire inside her. She now stood before her father, in the middle of the courtyard. Beside them was a rack, filled with all kind of weapons. “The promise you made to avenge your mother is very noble.” Agnarr said. “But in order to do so, you need to be able to use these.” He gestured toward the rack. Elsa swallowed. This was getting very real now. She started to feel nervous… _No, don’t feel nervous,_ Elsa thought. _Don’t feel at all. If you want to do this, you cannot afford to feel._ She straightened her back. “When do we start?”

And thus, Elsa’s training started.

**Anna**

“… and that is what you are supposed to do when foreign royalty visits Arendelle. Are you listening, Anna?” Anna’s head shot up from the table. “Yes, Miss Kungsleden.” Miss Kungsleden was Anna’s teacher of Etiquette, a stern-looking, elderly woman. “Good, this is important.” Anna nodded and her mind drifted off straight away when her teacher started talking again. It wasn’t that the lesson wasn’t interesting. The reason _why_ she had to follow this was why her mind drifted off. When Elsa had agreed to their father’s plan, he had turned toward her, Anna recalled. “Now that Elsa has more important business to attend to,” he had said, “you need to be ready for the throne. You must do your duty to your country.” Anna had nodded in silence and now she was here. Anna sighted briefly and focused her attention on Miss Kungsleden once again. It was going to be a long day…

* * *

_2 years later_

CLANG! The clash from steel on steel ripped through the air. They had been going at each other for 10 minutes now and Elsa started panting. She was practising with weapons and training with the guards for 2 years and she could hold her own now. Occasionally, Elsa would even win a fight, but never from him. They started circling around each other again. Her opponent, a guard called Sebastian, was panting too. This was the closest she’d ever come to beating him. She feinted an attack overhead and struck from her right side as quick as she could. _Non-stop training and working out pay off,_ Elsa thought satisfied when her sable nearly went through his defence. He countered with an attack of his own. Elsa saw this coming, however, and dodged it easily. Rapidly, she struck left, right and with a loud CLANG, she finally smashed the sword out of his hands. He raised his hands in surrender. “You got me,” he said with a smile. “Good job!” Elsa did not smile, nor did she respond. The moment Elsa made the winning blow, she imagined it being King Frederick’s sword. She imagined knocking him down to the floor and driving her ice deep into his heart. A now very familiar fire burned every feeling away. Elsa merely sheathed her sable, drew a couple of daggers and assumed a fighting position. “Let’s go again.”

**Anna**

Just in the shadows on the edges of the courtyard, Anna shivered. It wasn’t the cold though. At least, not the cold out there. Anna shivered because of the cold in Elsa. _These past couple of months has she been training every single day,_ Anna thought. And even if she’s not, she’s in here room, plotting her revenge. Peering at maps for hours, staring at blueprints and studying drawings of the king and his family. Even his long-lost daughter. Anna sighted in despair. She hardly knew her sister anymore. When they cross in the hallway she nods and smiles, sometimes. On good days. On bad days, however, it was at least 10 degrees colder around her and she would radiate a rage, so dark and cold, it scared Anna to her very core. On moments like those, Anna was afraid of her sister. Afraid of what she might do. Anna turned around. “There’s no point in watching.” she murmured to herself as she walked through the doors. Her lessons for the day were over, so she just wandered aimlessly through the halls. Not for the first time, she frowned at the number of guards standing at their posts. _It seems,_ thought Anna, _that Father is spending most of his time hiring new guards and firing old ones._ She remembered that her father fired three guards, just for staring at Elsa to long. _He is seeing enemies everywhere._ Sometimes, she could hear him rage on about spies from Corona, gathering Intel on Elsa. With him, everything was about Elsa. Anna loved her sister but lately, more feelings emerged. Fear and… anger. Elsa seemed to grow colder and colder by the day and Anna was afraid of the day her sister would have a solid frozen heart.

* * *

_3 years later_

It was deep in the night when a hooded figure pressed itself against the wall. This was where it got serious. A couple of clouds floated past the moon, wrapping everything in shadows. _Perfect._ Like a spider, the figure climbed up the wall, waiting for the right moment to bypass the guards standing on top of it. There! The person snuck up on the wall and down the other side. Only a hundred more metres to the servant entrance, on the other side of the courtyard. Using the rhythm of the clouds shifting past the moon, it was no more than a shadow crossing the open space. In one smooth movement, the figure opened the door, entered and closed it again. Without making a sound on the stone floor, the cloaked person moved on; through hallways, up stairs. The assassin, because that’s who it was, came past the princess’ bedroom. _Later,_ the assassin thought. _First the King._ The figure crept through the halls, straight to the royal bedroom. There, the person knelt and pulled a lock pick set out of its cloak. A click followed two minutes later. With nothing more than a whisper, the door closed again, with the assassin inside now. In the darkness, the person could distinguish a sleeping figure on the bed. On silent feet, the assassin approached the bed, pulled out a dagger from its cloak, raised it above its head and…

A few slow clap from the corner behind her. “Well done, Elsa.” her father said, now lighting a candle, revealing a man of straw on the bed. Elsa turned around and took of her hood. She merely melted the dagger. Since a few years, she only used weapons made of ice. Easily made and easily able to get rid off. “Of course,” her father continued, “were there no guards in front of the door, out in the courtyard and in the halls. There also were no patrols or servants and yet… it took you 30 MINUTES!” He shouted the last 2 words. “You may be good at using your ice daggers, opening locks and sneaking through the palace. If you cannot combine them, it’s useless anyway!” Her father was now pacing furiously and Elsa bowed her head. However, she felt no shame or sadness. These days, she felt but ice and fire. “I am sorry, Father.” she said emotionless. “I will continue my training first thing in the morning.” “Yes, we cannot stop.” her father started whispering to himself. “Our preparations must go on.” Elsa stared at him for a moment. _What was that about?_ Then, she shrugged. Five years ago, when she was 10, before the promise, she might have cared. Now, she couldn’t care less. She turned around and walked with a stone-cold face out the room.

**Anna**

Anna woke up by the same sound she woke up by every morning for the last few years. The faint sound of –she now knew- ice daggers into straw. She also knew, without looking, that every single dagger hit its mark. It was Elsa’s morning routine and therefor, hers. The 12-year-old rose up from her bed and called in her servants to dress her; something she had learned and knew was appropriate for a princess to do. Whilst her servants helped her in her dress, her mind drifted off to her big sister. Anna was wrong when she’d thought Elsa’s training was just swinging a sword. She was taught how to move soundless. As a result, Elsa surprised her all the time when they met, if a circle of temperature drop did not surround her. She had learned how to open locks without a key, so now Anna pushed her nightstand against the door every night. Anna didn’t know why, it just… made her feel safe. Just as the servants were ready, her arms dropped. Safe. She needed to feel safe, from Elsa? When did that happen, blocking her door for Elsa? _It doesn’t matter anyway,_ Anna thought. _She doesn’t care. Not for me, at least._ What Miss Kungsleden taught her was basically how to act haughty. So, Anna tried it on Elsa. And no matter what Anna did, said or implied, Elsa just didn’t care. Always that coolly expression. That ‘ _that’s nice, Anna. Now please excuse me.’_ Anna was getting more and more desperate by the day. Desperate to get through to her, make her feel again. _But maybe it’s to late already._ Anna was no longer scared whether or not Elsa’s heart would be frozen solid. She now thought about what could happen with it; could something or someone thaw her completely frozen heart or would it one day shatter, and leave her with no heart at all…

* * *

_3 years later (again)_

_Eighteen. I’m an adult now,_ Elsa thought. Not that she was excited or happy. No, Elsa was _eager._ For years now, she tried to get her father to let her enact revenge. Always he said: ‘Not yet. It’s to early. We’re not ready.’ Elsa didn’t now who _we_ were, but het father had been having a lot of meeting lately. Generals, traders, mercenaries. She didn’t question it, didn’t care. But maybe now that she was eighteen, he would let her. All this was going through her head as she went to the King’s office. Once there, the guards in front of the doors, four in total, started looking nervous as she came closer. _They’re afraid of me._ Ignoring the trembling guards, she walked straight through the doors. The moment Elsa laid eyes upon the King; she stopped, almost by surprise. He was not looking anxious, paranoid, like he could be attacked any second. He stood tall, with a letter in his hand and a small smile on his face. “Ah, Elsa. You’re here. Good. I was just about to send for you.” His smile grew. “I have some good news, at last.” His eyes shone as he continued. “You remember Captain Edward Teach, don’t you?” Clenched fists. _Don’t feel._ “Yes, of course. He sunk Mother’s ship.” A flicker of rage. _Don’t feel._ “Well, an informant of mine has some interesting news. Two things, to be precise. For starters, the long-lost princess of Corona has been found. King Frederick’s daughter. Her name is Rapunzel and I can honestly say that she is all yours.” A smirk. Almost joy. _Don’t feel._ “Secondly, on the topic of Mr Teach. Since everybody is so happy the princess is found and Captain Teach has done so ‘well’ the last few years, there is decided to promote him to Admiral." Ice in her veins. Ice was good. “The ceremony is taking place…” a quick look at the clock on his desk. “…right now.” The smile on his face faded. Only a grim, vengeful look now. “After the right coins in the right hands, we now know that after his promotion, he will rest for some time in his estate.” Agnarr took a deep breath and looked straight into Elsa’s eyes. “I want you to go there and kill him.”

“See this as a test. To see if you are ready to take on the royal bastards themselves. Beside that, this will be the first step to avenge Iduna. To bring justice to her and to the world. Are you ready?” _Finally!_ Eight years of training. Dozens of scars, including those on her back… _don’t feel._ “I am ready.” Without wasting a second, Elsa turned around and almost ran out of the room, toward her revenge.

Elsa waited. She had waited for a couple of hours now. After she ran out of her father’s office, she packed her stuff and jumped on the first boat to Resque, the town closest to Teach’s mansion. From there, it was only a few kilometres to the estate. Once there, she noted almost instantly her target wasn’t home. So she waited. So she waited for a couple of hours. But now, her patience was rewarded. A carriage arrived, bearing the man she so strongly hated. He got out and walked to the big house. _No wife? No kids? Perfect!_ Elsa stood up and moved soundless toward the house.

The closer Elsa came, the more she became aware of the sentinel. There! A man, clad in the sun of Corona, hand on the sword, staring in the dark. Silent as death, Elsa crept around him and approached the guard from behind. She grabbed a rock from the ground and rose up behind the man. SMACK! A second before he hit the ground, Elsa froze him. Solid. _That’s one…_

It took her almost an hour-and-a-half to make sure there were no more sentinels around the house. Each of them, she froze in ice. Only two more remained at the main doors. So close, she was so close! And in her excitement, she made a mistake. She rushed, she _felt_ , and made one of the simplest mistakes ever. She made a sound. Now it was Elsa who froze. _Please don’t hear me, please don’t hear me…_

“What was that? Who’s there?” A male voice. “Probably a squirrel or something, don’t worry.” A second voice, a bit higher than the first one. “No, no, that sounded like boots, snapping twigs!” said low-voice. “I’m sure of it.” “Pff, then go check it out, if you have to…” high-voice sighted. She heard boots coming toward her. “Who goes there? Show yourself!” 2 metres, one metre. If he looked now, he would… “Hey you, what are you doi…” Before low-voice could finish his sentence, Elsa hurled three ice daggers at his head. The sentinel raised his shield and barely managed to block them. The moment he raised his shield, Elsa moved. Planting her knee in his groin and pushing his head against a tree. Dazed, he fell to the ground. Elsa bolted for the door, but high-voice saw what happened and drew his sword immediately. _There goes the element of surprise,_ Elsa thought. _Fine, then we’ll do this the hard way._ While running, Elsa froze the floor under the firmly planted boots of the man. This took the sentinel by surprise. While trying to recover his balance, Elsa smashed in him, crashing him into the door, which flew out of its hinges under the weight of the man. The now unconscious guard and the door landed on the floor of the house. While Elsa was panting and rubbing her shoulder from the impact, the first guard –low-voice- snuck up behind her and drove his sword deep in her shoulder, just missing her heart. Elsa screamed in pain, looking at the tip of the sword coming out of her shoulder. She threw herself of the blade, turned around and sent the man flying with a blast of magic. O shit! That hurts. Pressing her palms against both sides of the wound, she froze them, stopping the bleeding for now. She tested her arm. It hurt as hell and her arm was stiff, but is was bearable. With ice in her eyes, she turned toward the door and went looking for the man who had killed her mother.

Looking for him was not that hard. In fact, the newly promoted Admiral was waiting for her. With drawn sword, shield raised the man stood vast in a doorway. Elsa knew she couldn’t beat him, not with her wounded arm, but she held out her good arm anyway and created a sable. The eyes of the man went wide at the sight of her magic but he relaxed when he saw how unsteady she stood and gave he a taunting smile. And as he smiled, something in Elsa was done. Just, so done with the man before her. Who had murdered her mother. So Elsa smiled back, and let the thing inside come out.

The temperature dropped instantly 20 degrees and ice crawled from underneath her feet. When Teach saw this, he gasped and made a sign to repel evil. “Do you know who I am, Admiral?” Elsa asked with a voice, soft as velvet. “I know you’re a daemon, send from the abyss to wreak havoc upon this world.” the man shouted, eyes wide with panic. Meanwhile, the temperature still dropped and the ice kept crawling further, making it hard for Teach to stand. He shuddered, his hand trembling so much he almost dropped his sword. “I am not a daemon, nor am I from the abyss. I am a girl of flesh and blood. Eight years ago, you took something, _someone_ , from me. You and your superiors. And now you will pay.” The Admiral looked surprised. “Eight years ago… you mean that traitor ship we sank? Wait, who ARE you?” A cruel smile spread across Elsa’s face. “I am princess Elsa of Arendelle, firstborn of King Agnarr. The person you took from me was my mother.” Another temperature drop. Completely shivering and shaking, Teach slipped on the ice and dropped his sword. He crawled as fast as he could to the furthest corner, ‘fear’ written all over him. “I’m sorry, OK! But it was not my decision to sink the ship. It was the King’s! He said I had to do whatever it took!” Elsa approached the man, like a viper would approach a mouse. “Oh, I know. Which is why I am going to repay this debt to him, with interest. For revenge is gonna be mine and maybe not today, or tomorrow, but someday, I will come to collect.” And as realisation dawned in his eyes, Elsa raised her blade and sunk it deep into Admiral Edward Teach his heart.

**Anna**

_She’s the same. She’s the fucking same!_ It has been three days since Elsa returned from the first part of her revenge. Her first mission. Her first murder. The words were singing in Anna’s head; _murderer, murderer, you sister is a murderer._ Was Elsa first scary, now she was terrifying. Frozen heart or shattered heart? Anna didn’t know anymore. Elsa had done the very thing Anna never imagined her sister could do. Most terrifying of all? She doesn’t even seem affected by it. When she came back, she went straight to their father. After a long talk, she went to see the healers. The next morning she came out, left shoulder wrapped in bandages –with blood seeping through- and just… started training again. Like nothing happened. And Anna couldn’t take it anymore. She needed to know her sister was OK. Or at least, what state she was in. So now Anna was looking for her. The problem was; if Elsa didn’t want to be found, Anna wouldn’t find her. She just hoped she was training, as always. But call it fate, destiny or coincidence, Anna basically bumped into her sister when she turned at a corner. “Elsa,” Anna stuttered. “I-I-I was just looking for you.” Her sister looked at her. “OK. You found me.” Anna swallowed. “I just wanted to ask you if you’re feeling alright.” “My shoulder hurts.” Elsa remarked coldly. “Now, I have things to do, so would you just…” Elsa stepped aside and walked past Anna. Anger rose in her. She grabbed Elsa’s arm and almost immediately let go. _Holy mother of… She’s freezing!_ Anna thought. “No Elsa. I need to talk to you. _Really_ talk to you.” Did she sound desperate? Maybe, but she was. “Fine, then talk.” “How are you feeling?” Anna asked again. “I told you, my shoulder hurts…” “NO!” interrupted Anna her sister. “How are you _feeling_?” Elsa frowned. “I don’t think I quite understand what you mean.” _Was she serious? All right then, let’s do this head-on._ Anna took a deep breath. “Elsa, you just murdered a guy and you act like it is nothing! You are allowed to feel, you know.” She sighted. “I know you are still human under that icy façade. You can let it out. I know you want to avenge Mom but do you really think this is the way to honour her memo…” This time, it was Elsa who interrupted. “DO NOT LECTURE ME ABOUT MOTHER!” Elsa raged. “What would you know about revenge? I have trained, bled and been scarred for mother! You did what? Sit here in your pretty dresses, acting like a spoiled brat. You think that is the way to remember mother? I don’t think so!” Anna backed off against the wall, utterly scared, but tried one last time. “If you don’t let this go, Elsa, then…” Elsa’s eyes flared. ‘You will what? Do what, Anna? What power do you have that can stop me?” She let out a humourless, wicked smile. “You’ve got nothing! Can do nothing! You can’t stop me. No one can.” As Elsa raged on, snowflakes began to fall. The moment she noticed them, Elsa backed away. With wide eyes, she nearly ran away, leaving Anna in tears in the cold hallway.

* * *

_3 years later (last one, promise)_

Elsa stood at the docks, ready to board. No one was there, of course. Not her father, not Anna. No one could know where she was going or what she was going to do. When she had killed that bastard, Teach, 3 years ago, she knew she wasn’t ready. If she could barely stand against his guards, attacking the royals would be folly. So she trained harder then ever. Specializing with her daggers, she looked for the best fighters in Arendelle and learned from them, until she could beat every last one. Practised until she could sneak through the forest like a ghost and trained until she could pick every lock in a heartbeat. When she turned 21, she knew she was ready. Elsa went to her father to ask permission; he had merely nodded. So she had prepared everything. Especially for Rapunzel. From the rapports she got, she and her partner, Eugene, were quite adventures. They might be a problem. Her lady-in-waiting, Cassandra, was daughter of the Captain of the Guard and a master with many weapons. She was definitely a problem and had to be taken out. Elsa looked one last time to a window in a tower. Not a soul to find. She took a deep breath. With ice in her heart and ice in her head, she stepped aboard the ship. As they sailed away from the harbour, her mind went to Anna. She hadn’t been angry for a long time before that moment, 3 years ago. Hadn’t felt emotion at all. She wondered what it meant, if anything at all. She turned her gaze at the horizon and thought of all the adventures and enemies that waited there.

**Anna**

Anna stood before her window in the tower watching Elsa’s ship sail away. She thought of all the years they spent playing and all the years apart. The laughs they shared. About the person her sister was and the person she is now. As the ship faded from view, she wondered whether or not she would ever see her sister again and if she would, who that person than would be. With one single, silent tear, Anna looked until the ship crossed the horizon, into the unknown.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YES! Rapunzel is mentioned. So are Eugene and Cassandra. Exciting! just wait for the next chapter! for anyone interested: the story from Rapunzel are the events from the movie but NOT the events from the series. also: the town near Teach's mansion in pronounced 'Resk'. if you got ideas how the story could/should continue, please do tell. thanks for the kudos everyone and don't forget to comment to help me improve my writing!


	3. Revenge is gonna be mine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not much to say, really. I just write down what I would like to read but if you want some different stuff, just say it. As always, comment any pro's and cons down below and have fun!

Elsa was lying in her cabin, waiting, as she’d been doing for almost three days now. The boat trip to Corona would be taking 5 days. She got up from her bed, stretching her legs. As usual, she opened her door and to the top deck for some fresh air. She went to the bow of the ship, looking in the distance. She knew she was lucky. _The Sea Dragon_ was a fast ship with a good captain, a man named Tristan. Another ship would have had at least needed a week for the journey. She had studied the captain and the other passengers aboard the ship. Tristan seemed young but his crew respected him. Elsa did not know much about sailing and boats, so she just did the same. He was tall, had brown hair and eyes that were somewhere between blue and green. He never said much and looked coldly into the world, as if he knew what kind of hatred was in it. _A real reason the respect him,_ Elsa thought. There were not many problems, but still a few. Oaken, for example. He was a giant of a man, who said for some reason ‘yoo-hoo’ to everybody who passed him. Apparently, he had a shop in the mountains, but had decided to expand. “Wandering Oaken’s trading post is coming to Corona.” he kept saying to whoever was listening. The others thought it was weird, but fine. For all, except one. A guy with brown hair, brown eyes and named Thomas. After 2 days, he was done with Oaken. “Can you shut up with the ‘yoo-hoo’-crap!” he had yelled. The trader was willing to let it go, had Thomas not threatened with a curved, razor-sharp dagger. Oaken was at the point of throwing him over board when the captain had spoken: “Would you please put him down, good sir? I would hate to arrive with 2 passengers less then I left.” Both the threat and the cold tone made sure the big guy indeed put him down. When an angry Thomas hit the deck, he shot up. But instead of attacking the man he looked at him with some respect. Neither one spoke to the other for the rest of the trip, but they kept glancing at each other. Not with hate but with some sort of… interest. Elsa herself kept to herself most of the time and talked even less but felt eyes observing her sometimes. It was the captain, she knew.

On the fifth day, late in the afternoon, Corona came in sight. The city was settled on an island, with a gigantic palace on the highest point. _Breaking in is going to be even more challenging then I though._ They docked not even two hours later. As Elsa left the ship, Tristan grabbed her arm. Despite the fact that she knew she had to be freezing, he did not let go. “I don’t know why you’re here, Princess Elsa,” he said with a deep, soft voice, emphasizing the last 2 words, “but if you need a quick ride out of here, consider me available. I will be here for at least a month, should I not have any delay. Or receive messages from any kind.” He gave her a knowing glance, as if he knew what she was up to and let her go. _How did he figure out… never mind. I should remember him, if only to take him out when this is over._ With a quick look over her shoulder she hurried of the docks, away from this captain who _knew_. 

Elsa quickly left the harbour, heading for the centrum of the island. She needed to find an inn, somewhere to rest, she realized. After a while, she found something that suited her. Not to outstanding, not to bad. It was called ‘La Bonnerie’ and the innkeeper was a sociable, kind-looking woman who introduced herself as Frederique and –as Elsa suspected- was from a country far south. When Elsa rented a room for two weeks, Frederique frowned. “All alone? What is a pretty thing like you doing here without any company?” “Family business,” Elsa said with a shrug. On those words, the hostess started to smile and began babbling about her own family as she directed Elsa toward the eating room. “You look far to pale for a girl your age,” the woman said. “Why don’t you sit here while I get you something to eat.” As Elsa was waiting and eating, she kept quiet and went to her room as fast as she could. She would need all her strength for the days to come.

The next day, after a small breakfast, Elsa went into town. Although she seemed to be looking at little souvenirs, she was not. She was counting. It had taken the guards 15 minutes to come back to this point after their patrol. The time before that 17 minutes and before that 16 minutes. While nodding in herself, Elsa followed the guards. Looking as casual as she could, she memorised the route taken by the group. Later, in her room, she would draw the path on a map but now she needed to focus. After she tailed the guards for two more rounds, she walked away. Luckily, peering at maps from Corona back in Arendelle, she knew the city like the back of her hand. Though seeing it in real life was very different, Elsa knew where she was. As she turned to go back to the square, she saw a glimpse of another patrol, just turning at a corner. She gritted her teeth and followed this new group.

Elsa managed to learn three more patrols that day. When she entered the inn, so late, that everything was pitch black, she immediately noticed Frederique who came rushing toward her. “Darling, where have you been? It’s so late! Come warm yourself by the fire.” Elsa tried to break free from the grip the innkeeper had on her. “Sorry, but I am not that cold. I am just tired so if you will excuse me…” The woman frowned. She knew it was very cold outside, and yet this girl claimed not to be affected by it. “Well then. Let me at least make something to eat for you.” This time, it was Elsa who frowned. “I already ate something. Like I said, I am just tired.” _She’s really getting annoying now._ “OK. Than I will escort you to your room and help you to…” “NO!” Elsa tried to keep the temperature drop to a minimum, but she couldn’t help but make her skin very, very cold. Frederique let go of her and rubbed her hands together. She looked wide-eyed at her. Elsa ignored her and went upstairs, leaving the baffled innkeeper alone.

In the following week started to form a pattern. Elsa would wake up really early. She would buy some bread at a nearby shop and started walking to the place where she left of the day before. There, she would follow the patrol she followed last once and move on to the next one. When she was done with it, she started to study the palace. She had seen it on maps and schematics, but seeing the real thing was completely different. After a day or 2, she knew where she was going to scale the wall and climb the castle. She would then climb to the balcony from the royal bedroom and make her kills. Then, she would go on to the princess’ bedroom and end her too. After that, she would get the hell out of there. When she was done for the day, she would return to ‘La Bonnerie’ where she would draw or sketch or write down everything she had learned that day and then study it until she could repeat everything from memory. Frederique had stopped being so motherly and left her alone. Which was a good thing, for when she had studied the castle and the patrols at day, she would do the same at night. Sneaking through the streets like a ghost, jumping from rooftop to rooftop like a wraith. When 13 days had past, she knew everything she needed to know. Where all the guards on the street would be, where the guards on the walls would be, when they were tired and would be relieved. Everything. So on the 14thnight in Corona, a couple of hours before dawn, Elsa went hunting. 

With a soft click, Elsa opened the window, peering outside. This night, she knew, she _had_ to be patient. So she waited, patiently. A patrol of guards marched past her window. She knew she had about 21 minutes until this group would be at this point again, so she climbed out of the window and jumped to the rooftop on the other side of the street. She hit the roof with her ribs and let out a restrained grunt. Pulling herself up, she crouched, waiting if she heard or saw any signs that she’d been spotted. When that was not the case, Elsa crouched to the top of the roof, looking to the castle. _This is not going to be easy, but I knew that,_ she thought with a grim expression. _But the moment is finally here._ In the route she was going to take, she’d encounter three more patrols. She came up from her low position, took a few steps and leaped to the next roof. This way, she made it without problems all the way to the wall. Crossing the guards wasn’t hard at all. If she saw any of them, she just stopped, dropped low and counted to sixty. But here, 30 metres from the wall, is where it got tricky. She’d picked a time when the guards on top of the wall would be tired, more interested in keeping warm than in looking in the dark. Elsa would use that to her advantage. Jumping from the building on which she stood, landing with a roll to break her fall, she dashed for the wall. _Still nothing._ Pressing against it, she made pointed tips to her shoes and icicles in her hands. She jammed her pointed shoe tip in the wall and also hit it with one of her icicles. This way, she scaled the wall. At one moment, her iced shoe broke of, causing her to nearly fall all the way down, but managed to recover at the very last moment. Then, at last, was she at the top, just below the line of sight. Elsa knew the guard was on her left, probably looking toward the fire. But just to be sure, Elsa created a little bit of ice and threw it far to her left. She instantly heard movement. She saw the guard, bend over the battlements, staring in the dark at his right side, trying to uncover what that sound was. Quick as a snake, Elsa shot up the wall and stalked to the sentinel. When she’d reached the guard, not more than 1 metre away, he finally noticed her. He shot upright, trying to draw his sword and yell for help. But Elsa got to him first. She froze his hands and legs and covered his mouth with her hand. As the guard looked at her, dressed all in black, with a cloak hiding all her features, he relaxed, trying not to be threatening. She looked at the man. _He’s just a boy, no older than me. Probably just trying to make a living for himself and his family. Completely innocent._ As she thought that, her mind went to her own family. A broken father. A desperate sister. And herself, obsessed with revenge. As she pushed him harder against the wall, the boy made a sound, not more than a muffled squeal. But it was enough to break the moment. With one hand over his mouth, the other went to his throat, merely touching it. And she started to freeze him, from tip to toe, until he was completely and utterly frozen to his very core. And then, she pushed. Pushed him over the battlements and to the street below, where he shattered in a thousand pieces. She knew she killed an innocent boy. Killing the men she hated was justice. But this… this was cold-blooded murder. Elsa knew she crossed a line; one she would not be able to come back from. But she remembered her promise from eleven years ago: _If have to destroy myself in the process, fine. But I will kill the king and everyone he loves._ The boy was in her way. An unreliability. If he had been found, everything would be doomed. But that did not take away the fact that he was innocent. But Elsa did not care. With an irredeemable stain on her soul, Elsa turned away.

She killed four more men this way, all of whom where in her way. And with each kill, a little bit more of her humanity died with them. She didn’t care. She was so close now to her goal. Then, she saw it. Her point of access in the palace. A balcony, leading straight to the royal bedroom. The only problem was that it was far, far above the ground. But she would do it anyway. And so, the same way she’d scaled the wall, she now scaled the palace tower itself. With each step, each hit she came closer to her targets. After at least 45 minutes of climbing, she reached the balcony. Heavily panting now, she grabbed a hold of the railing. With movements ever so slow, she pulled herself on the balcony. She could see figures lying in the huge bed, and although her hands were itching to cover themselves in their blood, she waited. Waited until she had recovered her breath enough to focus. She assessed the room. Nobody but the royals in the chamber. _Good._ With the utmost care, Elsa reached for her set to open the lock. It wasn’t very hard because who would enter from this door, 200 metres above the ground? So it opened without a sound and Elsa snuck in, locking the door behind her. She wouldn’t leave through it anyway. Elsa now crept to the bed, ready to see her so hated enemies. She stopped the moment she saw the bed. The Queen was there, sleeping in her nightgown, not aware of any danger. But the King… the King was nowhere to be found. And Elsa smiled. This was unexpected, but maybe it was good. After all, the punishment wouldn’t be much of a punishment if she just killed him here and now. But if he came in here and found his wife and daughter murdered… he would feel the pain she felt. Elsa walked over to the Queen and looked down on the woman. She created an ice dagger and gripped it tight. Inside her were fire and ice. But beneath everything, beneath the fire, the ice, the innocent murders and the scars she found something that may have been… remorse. For herself, of what she had become. For this woman, who had a life and a child she was about to rip away. And this feeling told her not to do it. To just walk away and forgive them. To save whatever was left of her humanity and find peace. And while she was listening, Elsa

CUT

THE

QUEEN

HER

THROAT

She watched the blood gush out of the wound on to her hands. With her throat cut from ear to ear Elsa listened and felt the remorse die. Felt her humanity die. And Elsa didn’t care. She melted her dagger and with blood-covered hands walked away from the dead woman.

Getting out of the room was trickier then she thought. By looking under the door she saw the faint shape of 4 boots, which meant two guards. But she didn’t know whether or not these were the only guards there were. Any servants were also not visible. But it was deep in the night, so servants would be in bed and the guards would be sleepy. She decided to take a guess. She opened the door slightly from the inside. “Your Majesty, are you all right?” one of the guards asked. When Elsa didn’t answer, the guard opened the door further and Elsa struck. While she smashed one dagger in the first guard’s head, she hurled a fistful of throwing daggers to the second one. With a role, Elsa went through the door, ready for anything. Luckily, there was nobody except the dead bodies of the just-killed guards. Elsa dragged them inside the bedroom. She wiped her hands clean on one of the guard’s clothes, went out and closed the door behind her. With the rush of her enacted revenge still flowing through her, she started walking. _Now Princess Rapunzel._

_This place is a maze,_ Elsa thought. _It is that I know the layout, otherwise I would be lost here forever._ She knew the princess’ chambers weren’t far from the royal bedroom, but she still had a hard time finding them. Still, she was lucky that she didn’t encounter anyone. Then, at last, did she find it. _One turn left here and then I’ll walk into the doors._ She knew, however, that there would be guards in front of it. So she had taken precautions.

Out of her cloak, she took a box. When she opened the door, she took out the straw that kept the object inside in one piece. She revealed a glass orb, not bigger than her palm. Putting her hand on top of it, she filled it with drifting snow, as much as she could. When she thought it was filled to its full potential, she gently rolled the orb toward the guards. “What the hell is this supposed to be?” one of the guards said. “I don’t know.” She heard movement and a big WOOSH. Elsa swooped in the hallway and did not saw the end of it through the drifting snow in the air. When one of the guards had picked up the orb and shook it, the tension was too big to maintain. So it exploded. Before all the snow fell, she dashed for the guards. Still rubbing their eyes, they did not even saw her coming. 2 stabs in the chest for one of them and a quick throat cut for the other. She froze both in place before they hid the ground. Now that all the snow settled down, she melted it. She knelt down near the locked and opened it. _Part two of revenge._ She opened the door and heard a sleepy voice. “Cass, is that you?”

**Rapunzel**

“Cass, is that you?” Rapunzel asked sleepy. Just was woken up by some noise outside and saw a young woman in the doorway, so she thought is was Cass, coming to reassure her. She was so amazing, Cassandra. Probably the best friend she has in the castle. Always by her side, always helping her. And that is beside what she does outside her lady-in-waiting time. They shared some pretty crazy adventures together. But looking closer at the woman, she noticed it was not Cass. While she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes, the person closed the door and locked it. Then she approached her and reached in her cloak. “Who are you?” The person stopped and laughed softly, terrifying. “I am fate, coming for a reckoning.” Rapunzel opened her mouth to say something in return when the woman pulled her hand from her cloak and raised a dagger from a material like she’d never seen before. Rapunzel had just time to roll of the bed to avoid the dagger flying over her head at the exact place she just was. She picked the dagger up. _Ice?_ She had barely time to react when the woman came at her, a dagger in each hand. She grabbed the nearest thing, a frying pan, and started to parry most of her strikes. She got a shallow cut in her arm and started to yell. “HELP! GUARDS! ANYONE! I AM BEING ATTACKED!” The attacker chuckled softly. “Your guards are dead, they won’t help you. No one is near. This is where you die, Princess.” The words caught her off guard. _Dead? Casper and Vincent dead? No!_ A wordless cry escaped her while she tried to attack but the blows kept coming, from everywhere it seemed. A single tear started to run down her cheek. The woman saw it and spoke again. “Do you know who else is dead? Your mother. I killed her, just before I got here. I cut her throat and did nothing as she bled to death.” _No… no no no no no no no no no no… mom is dead?_ Rapunzel started to cry, sobbing, like the world had ended. The frying pan got knocked out of her hands. She sunk to her knees. _Dead…_ The killer raised her weapons and… the door blasted open. The killer turned, as quick as silver. In the doorway stood a young woman in brown pants, a brown tunic and black hair, a sword ready to strike. Cassandra… She did not hesitate to attack her mother’s killer. Rapunzel had not met anyone as good with a blade as Cass. She would win this fight for sure.

**Cassandra**

When Cassandra had heard Rapunzel scream, she was just on her way to bed. She yawned and stretched. Patrol had been exceptionally boring this time. “Help! Guards! Anyone! I am being attacked!” She was running before her mind could process things properly. _That had been Rapunzel’s voice. Attacked? By who?_ When she arrived at the princess’ door she found 2 guards, standing frozen in front of the door. “Hey you! The Princess needs help, what are you doing?” she shouted. When she reached them though, she saw they were mortally wounded and somehow frozen. Solid. _What kind of power could do that?_ From inside she heard voices and the clash of metal. She tried the handle. Locked, of course. Retreating a few steps, she charged and threw all her weight at the door. It held, but creaked. After two more times opened the door. She saw a woman in black holding a dagger above a crying, kneeling Rapunzel. Rage rose in her up and without a word she attacked. The woman in black turned to meet her blade. Her daggers were made from something transparent blue, like… _ice?_ She struck and the woman defended herself. Cassandra started a series of attacks, each one faster then the other. Not one of the guards managed to stay upright from an attack like that. But to her shock and surprise, the woman deflected each blow. Suddenly she slipped and looked down. There was ice on the floor, coming from the woman! Her hesitation was enough. The woman threw one of her dagger at her chest. How she did it, she did not know, but somehow she managed to deflect the dagger with her blade. Turning toward the woman, who she could now defeat since she had only one dagger, she widened her eyes as a dagger grew in her hand. And now, Cass was the one who had to defend. And she had to admit; whoever this was knew how to handle blades. She was forced to the wall when her sword got knocked out her hands and a kick send her flying, nearly knocking her senseless. She tried to move but her head throbbed in response, so she sank back to the floor. Looking up at the woman in black, she knew she was bested and was going to die.

**Elsa**

Elsa had to admit, Cassandra was good with a blade. Almost as good as she was. She recognized her from her many, many studies. She already knew she was good, but she had not expected such a level of expertise.Making ice under her feat, the girl almost slipped and looked down. Without a warning, Elsa threw her dagger. Elsa merely gaped at her when Cassandra deflected the blade _with her sword!_ With wide eyes, she tried to defend herself as Elsa now attacked. Defending against twin daggers with one sword was hard, but Cassandra held her own. But it would not last. She knocked the blade out of the girl’s hands and kicked her in the wall. Shame for a fighter like that to go down, but she was in the way. The girl tried to stand up, failed and looked up at her. In her eyes saw Elsa the realization she was going to die. Something flew behind her, the frying pan perhaps. Maybe Rapunzel threw it. It didn’t matter; it missed by a long shot. She raised her dagger, ready to strike when she saw a shadow on the wall before her. A man-like figure, lifting _the frying pan_ behind her! She tried to turn but was hit in the head hard by the frying pan. She sank to her knees. The last thing she saw was the woman on the floor smiling up to whoever was behind her, the shadow on the wall lifting the pan again to hit her in the head and everything went dark.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things are finally moving! Plot is starting to happen. Sorry, Queen Arianna-fans, but it had to be done. I said I wouldn't make the chapters this long, but this one is even longer than the last one! I have no idea how long the next one will be, I guess you will have to see. chapter 3 will be posted in a couple of days. comment what you think and help me improve!


	4. The Call of Destiny

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **WARNING: GRAPHIC TORTURE!**  
> There will be some torture in this, so if you don't want any you should skip some parts.
> 
> So, this chapter is waaaaay longer than I originally intended. I try to keep my chapters between 2k-3k words, but that's not working out. I could split it in 2, but I feel like it would undo some of the tension. Chapter 5 will be posted somewhere this week, but I am not sure. Probably nobody who reads this fiction cares enough. As always, comment any pro's and cons down below and have fun!

Darkness. Everything seemed to be blissful darkness now in which Elsa floated around. She didn’t know how long she was here. _Where was here, actually?_ A day, a week, a month or even a year? Time seemed to be inconsequential because a moment was either as long as the life-age of the Earth or a mere second. She could faintly remember… things. Being tossed in this cell after… something. No, not something. Trying to kill the Princess and killing the Queen. _Yes, that seemed right._ Because they killed… her mother. The darkness started to fade and pain began to take over every nerve in her body. Elsa woke up and shot upright, immediately regretting doing so. Wounds on her arms, torso, legs… well, everywhere started to bleed under her bandages. _Right._ The torture-sessions. She almost forgot about them. Almost. They would pick her up, daily, and bring her to this underground room. They would strap her to a table and do whatever they wanted. After that, healers would come in and patch her up, apparently. She mostly past out during her torture, but only after she screamed herself hoarse, although she did not want to give her captors that satisfaction. She heard footsteps approaching and a guard rounded the corner with a meal in his hands. He was not tall, but muscled and had blue eyes and brown hair. In between her moments that she was awake, she heard the other guards call him Jonathan. While whistling, he shoved the tray with food under her door. When their eyes met, just for a second, she could have sworn she saw pity and mercy. Then, he quickly walked by, whistling again. _Well, that is one person who isn’t completely hostile_. While holding back a moan, she bent forward to pick up the tray and started to eat. She felt like she hadn’t eating in days, which could be just the case. She moved carefully, making sure her wounds did not started to bleed again. Looking at her bandages, Elsa realized they were at least 12 hours old. That would mean they would come for her again, and soon too. She wasn’t sure how long she would last in here. A few more days and blood loss would surely kill, if she didn’t die from her wounds, got infected, they decided to execute her… Elsa knew she wouldn’t leave this dungeon alive, or it would be to face judgement. She put the tray down and lay on her bed. Elsa wasn’t scared to die, but she hated the fact that she didn’t got to avenge her mother. Stoic, she stared to the ceiling. She didn’t care enough to wonder what Anna and her father would be thinking. Instead, she closed her eyes and fell asleep immediately.

**Rapunzel**

Rapunzel hated the colour black. It was so depressing, sad and filled with grieve. Despite it, she wore it now, while standing before her mother’s grave. The funeral was yesterday; filled with Kings, Queens and other important people she didn’t know. She had tried to catch up these past 3 years on all that she missed during her time in the tower, but it wasn’t enough. She barely got through the palace with all the right regards and names, let alone 30 different Kings from countries she’d never heard from. They’d offered their condolences with pretty smiles but Rapunzel knew that most of them were already plotting on how to take advantage from the situation. The Duke of Weaseltown, or Weselton, for example. She could practically see the schemes and plots to exploit Corona’s riches form behind his eyes. She’d barely gotten through the funeral. The only reason she hadn’t fallen apart was because of Eugene and Cassandra. Usually, they couldn’t stand each other but now they were united in their common concern: Rapunzel. Once the funeral was over, she excused herself and fled with Eugene and Cass in her wake to her room. She’s torn her black dress off and had cried for hours with her boyfriend and lady-in-waiting beside her. And now she was here, in a simple black dress and tears in her eyes before her mother’s grave.

Another reason she hated the colour black; _she_ had worn it. Her mind went back too that faithful night, one week ago. When that woman in black told her she murdered her mom, she could hardly believe it. She’d tossed her frying pan to Eugene, who had just entered the room and he had knocked the woman out. They’d bound her hands and had than raced over to the Royal bedroom. When Rapunzel had not seen guards outside it, she’d feared the worst, but seeing her mother’s corpse on the bed with the dead guards on the floor… she’d puked her guts up. In a haze, she was escorted back to her room while the woman was taken away and the King was alerted to what happened. She could hear the screams and cries coming from the bedroom. Everything happened so fast after that. Letters were sent to neighbouring countries for invites to the funeral, arrangements were made for said funeral. Rapunzel knelt down before her mother’s tombstone. “Hey mom,” she said. “It’s really weird, you know, walking here and expecting you to show up and you never do. It’s just that… I miss you so, so much.” She started crying again, tears falling down on the damp ground. “And I… I don’t know what to do next. How to move on.” She heard footsteps behind her and a hand on her shoulder. “Hey Blondie. How’re you holding up?” She smiled at her nickname. Although her hair was brown for the past three years, Eugene had never changed it. She got up and took a quivering breath. Without answering she wrapped her arm around his shoulders and walked back to the palace. “I don’t know.” She answered truthfully. “I’m unsure about what to do next. What would you do?” Eugene shrugged. “Flynn Rider would have laughed about it and just forgot it, moving on to the next adventure. But I wouldn’t know what to do. Probably just find something to keep my mind of it.” He smirked. “I know what Cassandra would do.” he said, pronouncing the second ‘a’ as an ‘e’. “She would take revenge and kill the bitch that did this.” His tone became serious again. “Speaking of which, have you seen her yet? The bitch, I mean.” He frowned. “The woman in black. Not Cassandra.” Anger filled Rapunzel’s head. “Why on earth would I ever want to see her again? She murdered my mother!” Eugene’s gently stroked her hair. “To find some closure. To find out what reasons she had to do this. Maybe to find out who she is.” Rapunzel wanted to yell. To scream and beat that bitch half-dead. But she had to admit that Eugene made sense. Killing a Queen was hard enough as it is. You would need a really good reason to do it. And was it not for Eugene or Cassandra, she would be dead now to. Where did she learn everything? If there was more then one… And an answer to these questions… perhaps they would be closure. “Fine. I will visit _her._ But only if you and Cassandra come with me.”

**Elsa**

Elsa was woken up roughly when the guards dragged her out of her bed. “Get up, you scum.” one of them growled at her. Before she had a chance, they lifted her up by her arms and dragged her out of the cell into the hallway. _Another session,_ Elsa thought grim. _So be it then._

They took her to the usual room. A stone table was diagonal put up with leather straps for her arms, legs, neck and head. This time, though, they took her to a bucket on another, normal table. The guards pushed her on a chair and chained her to it. Then, they backed away and made place for the torturers. They called themselves Illuminators, ‘because we illuminate the right path for monsters like you’ one of them had told her before he’d pushed a serrated knife in her abdomen. There were two of them, as always. Without a word one of them began to sharpen some knifes as the other came to her and with a friendly smile said: “Enjoy.” Without a warning pushed the Illuminator Elsa’s head under water. Expecting something like this, Elsa had taken a deep breath but after almost a minute did she begin to run out of oxygen. She bucked and struggled in her chains but they wouldn’t yield. At the moment she would breath in water she was pulled up. She gasped for breath but took a mouthful of water as she was pushed under water again. This went on for about ten minutes. Suddenly, the man released her grip on Elsa and stepped back. She was desperately gasping for breath and panting, trying to inhale more oxygen. She was chained lose but was to exhausted to do anything but weakly push one of the guards. This time, they did take her to the torture table. Strapping her in, they stepped back again. She could make out one of the guards as Jonathan. He gave her a glance that seemed to say ‘sorry’ and looked away.

“Well, dearie,” one of the men said. “Here we are again. Are you sure don’t want to tell who you are, where you come from or why you murdered our Queen?” He twisted a knife on the tip of his finger. Elsa just stared stoic in front of her. “Very well than.” He bowed toward her so his face was next to hers. “I was hoping you would do that,” he whispered in her ear. With a sadistic smile cut he the bandages around her loose. He put the tip of the knife in one of the cuts and pressed gently. Elsa let out a groan but didn’t scream. The man pulled the blade out of her wound and put in a spot of fresh skin. Now, he pressed less gentle. A lot less. He put the knife deep in her arm before he began to move it down toward her hand, slowly, agonizing. A louder groan this time, but still no more than that. “I have to admit,” the man said in a tone like he was having a normal conversation and not like he was torturing her, “that I admire your stubbornness. You hold out longer than most of the others. But in the end, they all break. Each. And. Every. One. Of. Them. With each word he twisted the blade a little. After the last one, she did scream. “There we go,” the man said. “That wasn’t hard at all, know was it?” Elsa just let her head rest on her chest, heavily panting. The second man now came into view with a vicious-looking knife in his hand. “I will go wash this,” the first one said. “He will entertain you in the meantime. When you are bored, just give a shout.” With a sadistic look in his eyes he stepped away. She didn’t try to kick him. Didn’t even try to freeze him. In the beginning she had. She actually managed to kill four Illuminators. After those four, every time that she did something threatening like kick or use magic, they punished her severely. So she just let the man approach her without a word. It did not take long for the screams to become more frequently. 

**Rapunzel**

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Cassandra asked with a worried look. “I mean, she did try to kill you once. Who says that she won’t try again.” Rapunzel gave her a reassuring look. “That’s why you and Eugene are here. I know you can take on anything that comes our way.” Eugene and Cassandra almost simultaneously scowled at each other. “I can for sure,” Cass said sour. “About Fitzherbert I am not so sure.” As the 2 started bickering, Rapunzel rolled her eyes and turned to Pascal. “If they ever stopped fighting they would see how much they have in common.” The chameleon rolled his eyes in return. As they descended, the air grew colder. They came to a door with two guards in front of it. With a look at the Princess and her company, they opened the door without a question. The group looked at all the cells, but found no one even a little similar to the woman who had attacked Rapunzel. After looking for 10 minutes at least, they turned to the guards. “Excuse me,” Rapunzel said, “but there has been a young woman brought in here recently. All dressed in black. Do you know where she is?” The guard on the left nodded. “Of course, Your Highness. She has been taken to the Illuminators about an hour-and-a-half ago.” She frowned in confusion. _Who are these ‘Illuminators’?_ When she turned to ask Cassandra she saw that both him and Eugene had turned pale. “Guys, what’s wrong? Who are there Illuminators?” Eugene came closer to her. “Blondie, the Illuminators are the persons who you are taken to when you refuse to talk…” When she still looked confused, Cassandra sighted. “They’re torturers, Raps. If the woman has been taken to them one and a half hour ago, if is not going to be pretty.” Now Rapunzel turned pale as well. _We have torturers?_ She steeled herself.“Where?” she demanded. “Raps, I don’t know if you should…” “WHERE?” Rapunzel asked more insistent now. Cassandra sighted again. “I’ll take you. But if you get nightmares about what you see down there… remember I warned you.” 

They walked for about five minutes before they could hear the screams. _Those screams are clearly female,_ Rapunzel thought. Her hands started to shake. Eugene noticed the change in Rapunzel and took her hands gently. “You don’t have to go through with this, Blondie. It’s not what I meant when I said ‘see her’.” Rapunzel leaned on Eugene. “Yes Eugene, we go. No one deserves to be tortured, not even for something so evil.” So they continued. As the came closer and closer, the screams and cries became louder and louder. After 15 minutes they saw a door. Clearly, the cries came from behind it. “It’s now or never, Raps,” Cass said with a key in her hand. “Yes or no?” Rapunzel nodded and Cassandra put the key in the lock and turned. With a click the door swung open with a squeaking sound. They entered the room and stared at the scene that was unfolding before their eyes.

The first thing Rapunzel noticed was the smell of blood. Not that she knew it that well, but it was unmistakable. That copper-y tang was everywhere. The second thing was the woman. She was dressed in the remains of her clothes, basically rags now. She was wounded seriously, like cuts and wounds all over her and completely covered in blood. On her arms, legs, torso, everywhere. She was filthy and looked as if she was about to pass out. She was the most beautiful woman Rapunzel had ever seen. She was barely older then she was herself. _Is this really her?_ But then the woman looked up. Piercing, ice-blue eyes looked at her. In them, Rapunzel saw an unrelenting hate. Than, her eyes dropped again. It shook her awake. “What is going on here?” she demanded with the voice of a Princess. All the guards and two man she assumed were the Illuminators dropped to their knees. So fast, one of the Illuminators left a long knife _inside_ the woman. It almost made Rapunzel puke. “Your Highness, we were just interrogating this criminal. She is the one who murdered the Queen,” one of the man said. “Untie her at once! Now!” The guards hasted to follow her orders. They removed the knife in her stomach and with it fell on the stone floor with a loud clattering sound. While two of them opened the leather straps with which she was tied up, two others caught the woman who fell forward to the floor. “Take her to the infirmary immediately. Tell the healers to do whatever they can on orders from Princess Rapunzel.” The guards bowed and carried the woman with the utmost caution upstairs. Rapunzel might have imagined, but she though she saw the eyes of the beautiful woman flutter open. “Excuse me, Your Highness, but she is a dangerous criminal and should remain at least in the cells.” Anger rose up in the Princess. “No human being, no matter how bad or despicable, should be treated like you treated her! The only excuse you could possibly have is that you have direct orders from my father. Is that the case?” The man swallowed nervously. “Well, not exactly but it is standard protocol for prisoners to…” “Well, you can trust that my father will be hearing from your disobedience and insolent behaviour.” With all the dignity she could muster, she turned around and strode toward the stairs. It has to be said that she did make it three minutes up the stairs before she threw up. Cassandra nodded compassionately. “Don’t worry Raps. Most people react like that to the Illuminators’ work.” “I think you handled it rather good,” added Eugene. Slowly Rapunzel rose and wiped her mouth clean. Without a word, she climbed the stairs, thinking. _Who is she who is she who is she?_

**Elsa**

The first thing Elsa realized was the softness on which she lay. _No prison bed is_ this _soft._ The second was that she wasn’t in immediate pain. The last thing she remembered were the Illuminators. Being tortured on their table, she passed out. Though she dreamed about sparkling green eyes, filled with anger, energy and… something else. Slowly, she opened her eyes. _This is not my cell._ She stared at a high ceiling and tall windows _._ Around her were few dozen white beds, some filled with sick and injured people. _The infirmary. I am in the infirmary._ How on earth did she got here? “Good, you’re awake. I was wondering when you would wake up. You were out for at least 20 hours but you did loose a lot of blood.” A nurse approached her bed and shivered. “I hate whatever those torturers do, no matter how the call themselves. Most people die there, I’m glad you didn’t.” She smiled reassuring. Elsa tried to sit up and was pushed gently down immediately. “You may not be dead, but you came close. You were gravely injured with at least 16 knife wounds on your body, 2 broken ribs and several internal bleedings. A few of these wounds will turn out to be scars. There’s nothing we can do about that. Although,” the nurse frowned,” you do recover remarkably fast.” _Of course,_ Elsa thought. _The magic in my veins helps me recover better than normal humans._ “Even on your speed it will take a least 2 more weeks before you can leave here and about a month before you can walk and run again.” Elsa tried to talk but nothing more than a cough came out her throat. “Oh, of course. Here, have some water.” As the nurse handed Elsa a glass of water, she continued. “You should probably try to sleep some more. If anything, sleep will help you recover.” Elsa put down her glass. “Why are you helping me?” she asked, still a little bit hoarse. The nurse laughed. “Because the Princess asked me to. I don’t know why you were in the dungeons but if she says you must be healed, we do it. Whatever you did, she saw something good in you.” The nurse turned and walked away. However, on the last moment she returned, as if she suddenly remembered something. “As I examined you, I couldn’t help but notice those scars on your back. What happened to you, if I may ask?” Elsa was startled with the question. _Don’t feel._ “Feelings are what happened.” At those words, Elsa turned around and closed her eyes. _What is Rapunzel doing? I murdered her mother. Why is she so nice to me?_ Weariness took control of her. _Whatever plot she has, it can wait until tomorrow._ It took her less than a minute to fall in a deep sleep.

**Rapunzel**

Rapunzel had been waiting for almost 36 hours to see the woman. The doctors wouldn’t allow anyone to see her. ‘She needs to rest,’ they said. In those hours, she couldn’t think about anyone else than her and what she faced in the dungeon. For some reason, she hadn’t told her dad about the fact that she took her mother’s murdered out of the prison to be healed, but there was something about her that she couldn’t explain. So now she was in front of the infirmary doors, and she hesitated. What could she expect? What was she _thinking_? What if she tried to murder her again or didn’t want to talk to her? Rapunzel knew she probably shouldn’t do this but she couldn’t stop thinking about her. _It is just to get some closure,_ she told herself. _Find out who she is and why she did what she did._ She took a moment to calm her pulse and walked through the door. She hadn’t been in here a lot. A couple of times to support her friends when they got injured in their sword practise or when she had fallen ill. It took her only a moment’s notice to find the girl. Lying in a bed only 20 metres away from her, she had to hold herself back to not start running. Her heart was beating so loud she was sure everyone could here it, especially when the girl sat up and looked at her with those crazy-blue eyes. As she approached the bed, she couldn’t read a single emotion in her eyes, only the everlasting hate –a mixture of fire and ice- and something of curiosity. “Hey,” she started. “How are you feeling? I am…” “Princess Rapunzel, daughter of King Frederick and Queen Arianna.” The girl spoke her father’s name with such contempt Rapunzel almost felt it like a hit in the guts, her mother’s name without any feeling whatsoever and hers… well, the girl spoke her name with a curiosity that could be found with a predator, studying its prey. “Why are you helping me?” The question caught Rapunzel of guard. “Ehh…” was all she could produce. “I killed your mother and tried to kill you. I would have succeeded if not for Cassandra and Eugene Fitzherbert. He was it who knocked me out, wasn’t he? So why you would you be helping me?” The girl asked this all without so much as a hint of hostility in her voice. Without a hint of anything, really. It put Rapunzel at ease, which was probably the last thing she should be around this girl, if she thought about it. “I wanted to know who you are and why you did it.” She tried to say it in the same tone as the lying girl did, but it came out a little bit trembling. The woman laughed, an intimate laugh, which scared Rapunzel more than a curse would have. “I told you already. I am Fate, coming for a reckoning.” Rapunzel was a bit puzzled by this cryptic answer. “A reckoning? For what? What did I ever do to you?” Just for a heartbeat, Rapunzel thought to see hatred break through her icy mask. It was gone before she could blink, leaving her wondering if she saw it right. “Lets put it this way; do you remember Admiral Edward Teach?” She frowned. What had a dead Admiral to do with it? “Yes, he was an Admiral but he was murd…” She turned pale as she started to realize where the woman was going. “Did you…” She couldn’t finish her question. A cruel smile painted the girl’s face. “He was my first.” “First what?” Rapunzel was almost to scared to ask. “My first kill. And he won’t be my last.” At those last words stepped Rapunzel one tiny step back. But it was one step nonetheless. “Why did you… why would you ever…?” In a flash, the girl was upright and standing, mere centimetres away from the blond Princess’ face. “Because he and your family killed my mother 11 years ago! Because your father was judge and jury and Teach was executioner! And right now, an eye has been paid for an eye. But I won’t leave it. I will never forgive and I will never forget. So I am Fate, and I’ve come for a reckoning.” The woman gave Rapunzel a wryly smile. “But here you are, healing me, nursing me back to health. Now you know why, so… still want to help me?” Before the woman was done speaking, Rapunzel was already running for the exit, freaked out of her mind. The terrified Princess looked only back once, just long enough to see the woman lying back down on the bed with a face filled with pain. She walked through the doors of the infirmary. She was long overdue for a conversation with her father, about a lot of things.

“YOU DID WHAT?!” Frederick’s voice boomed through the room. “So not only do you interrupt an interrogation but you also send a prisoner –who could very well be dangerous- to the infirmary to be healed. This I could be able to understand. After all, you are a good person and want to help everyone, but facing your mother’s killer ALONE, without back up from your lady-in-waiting or boyfriend! That’s just reckless behaviour. I expect better from you.” Now Rapunzel was yelling as well. “Do not lecture me about behaviour. You let your ‘Illuminators’ just do whatever they want with a young woman. She’s my age, dad! My age! In another situation, it might have _been_ me. And I wanted answers from her! Just to ask her why. You did not went to see her, now did you? You were just fine with letting mom’s murderer get tortured to death without knowing anything.” Her dad interrupted her. “What do you mean, you got answers? You mean to say that one week of torture did nothing and you talk to her for a few minutes and she spills the beans. And what situation that you could be into?” Rapunzel let out a frustrated sigh. “One good act can do more than 100 evil ones. And she didn’t actually tell me everything important. Just that –apparently- you and Teach, who she murdered, killed her mother 11 years ago. Or to be precise, that you were ‘judge and jury’ and that Teach was ‘executioner’.” A little bit softer did she continue. “Did you, dad? Give orders to kill someone?” The King sunk back in his chair. He rubbed his face with his hands. He had a defeated expression on his face as he answered. “I’ve made a lot of hard decisions over the years. We should check our records to find out what happened 11 years ago.” He called in a servant to fetch the records for royal decrees and decisions from 11 years ago. As Rapunzel was watching, she realized something. “Dad, I think she is either very wealthy or royalty.” When her dad gave her a puzzled expression, she explained. “I mean, think about it. She’s good with a sword. Really good. The only way to get that good is to be taught for a lot of years. To pay swordmasters for lessons isn’t cheap. She should be wealthy to do so. She was also not at all intimidated by me being a princess when I saw her. Besides, she knew all about Eugene and Cass. Only royalty would have that information and confidence.” Slowly, the King nodded. “You make an excellent point there.” That moment, two servants came in. One of them was carrying a huge book, the other just a letter. The second one bowed to the King and whispered something in his ear. His expression turned grim and opened the letter immediately. While reading it, Rapunzel could see her father let his shoulders hang. He put the letter down with a defeated look in his eyes. But as time passed, he seemed to realize something. He opened the record book and sought out a specific page. He seemed pleased with the result. He immediately looked up another page, read it several times and closed the book. “Tell me, honey, what does this woman look like?” Rapunzel had no idea what that had to do with anything, but did as asked. “Very blond, almost white hair. Slim build and icy blue eyes. Why?” Her dad nodded as if he expected it. “I think that I just figured out the identity of our mystery-girl. If I am right, her name is Elsa. Princess Elsa, to be exact.”

“As you can see, 11 years ago did Captain Teach sink a traitor ship from Arendelle. All the passengers died. Not a fortnight later did we get a message from Arendelle’s King, Agnarr, that the Queen, Iduna, died. We attended the funeral. Now, a girl first murders Teach and then tries to go after our family. As if she has a list. It is also true that I did give the order to do whatever was necessary to sink the ship.” Rapunzel nodded enthusiastically. “You’re right. She has a list. She told me that she has more killing to do. But how did tie those actions together?” Frederick pointed at the letter. “From one of our informants in Arendelle. King Agnarr has an army headed our way. Almost as if he was expecting to find the kingdom leaderless. When you described the girl, it sounded remarkably like Elsa, his firstborn daughter. The only problem; even though we are not leaderless, the moral is low and we do not nearly have enough soldiers to fight them off.” Rapunzel turned pale. “So what do we do?” Frederick was already lifting his hands in defeat. “I don’t know! We could try to trade Elsa for peace, but if Agnarr is willing to let his daughter get caught on a highly risky mission, I suspect he will just let her die.” An idea popped up in Rapunzel’s head. “But what if… what if we _used_ Elsa. She knows the Arendelle Army far better than we do. Perhaps she will help us to defeat them.” But her father shook his head. “It is clear that she wanted to go on this mission. If we release her, there is no guarantee she will not turn on us. She wants us dead as much as Agnarr does. I won’t risk losing you.” But Rapunzel was already thinking ahead. “But what if…” “I said no, Rapunzel. In the morning, Elsa is to be taken prisoner again and questioned by guards, not Illuminators, about her knowledge of the incoming army. Understood?” Rapunzel abruptly stood up and walked to the door. “Rapunzel… Is that understood?” Without an answer she walked through the door to her room.

“A Princess? You’ve got to be kidding me!” Eugene exclaimed when Rapunzel told her friends about Elsa’s identity and the war threat. “No, I am not kidding. And here me out before you cut me off, but…” Rapunzel braced herself, “I want to ask her for help.” As expected did her friends erupt in complaints. After they were getting a little quieter, Rapunzel explained herself. “Elsa is the only one who knows about this army that’s coming. We _need_ her help. I know the dangers,” she said when Cassandra was complaining again. “Hell, she killed my mom but we don’t have a choice. We can’t evacuate the whole kingdom so we need a solution. I don’t hear any other ideas so let’s go ask her.” That baffled her friends. “Like, right now?” Eugene asked. “Yeah, now. Tomorrow she’ll be back in the dungeon so we need to ask now.”

As they approached the infirmary, they found the doors closed. _Of course. It’s the middle of the night._ She looked for any other entrances but Cass just knelt near the door. Grabbing a few little metal sticks, she inserted them into the lock. After some twisting and turning the lock opened. With a sly smile stood Cass up. “I thought that might come in handy some day. Let’s make it quick.” As silent as they could they entered the infirmary. They snuck to Elsa’s bed, finding her sitting upright with eyes locked on the trio. “For the record, you three are about as silent as a cheering crowd in a theatre. Why are you here?” Rapunzel looked to her companions and took a deep breath. “We came because we need your help, Elsa.” 

Elsa looked up. “So you found out who I am. I already thought if I made it to hard for you to figure it out. Why should I help you instead of killing you here and now?” Rapunzel showed a little smile. “Because it is your country’s army that is coming this way.”

**Elsa**

_So that was Father’s strange behaviour. Preparations for an invasion. The meetings with the generals, traders and mercenaries. The comments that ‘they weren’t ready’. It is so obvious if you think about it,_ Elsa thought. _And if I had succeeded in killing Frederick and Rapunzel, the country would be chaos._ None of the discussion in her head could be read from the outside. She knew her face was a blank. “I had no idea there was an invasion planned,” Elsa told truthfully. Sceptical looks. _Of course._ “You can believe me or not. The original plan was revenge, not invasion. And now you need my help to stop my own people from killing you, my original mission? Why?” Rapunzel stared at her. There was something about the Princess. Beside the green, emerald eyes and cute face. “I am not asking you to save us. I am asking you to help save my people. For as far as I know, your problem is with me and my father, not the people of Corona.” _True._ “I am willing to grant you a royal pardon if you help us safe innocent lives.” _Wait, what?!_ Elsa frowned. “You are willing to let me go and trust me to fight beside you despite the fact I killed your mother?” Rapunzel smiled sadly. “You’ve lost your mother at a very young age. I’ve lost mine recently. She’d have wanted to forgive you if it meant saving her people. She’d wanted me to forgive you anyway and not to cling on to revenge.” Elsa stared at her. For years now, she was consumed with revenge, never considering another option. But now, this Princess was able let it go and move on? _Father…_ It had been Father who insisted on getting revenge. It was his plan. A fire rose up in her. A very, very familiar one. Aimed at her father. _He has_ used _me!_ Snow began to fall around her. She didn’t care. She had lost too much of her humanity to be redeemed. But if she was going down, she would bring her creator with her. “I killed your mother as revenge for killing mine and in the process, I became a monster like the ones I sought to destroy.” Her mind went to Frederique, the caring innkeeper, to Jonathan, the merciful guard, to Oaken, just trying to live in peace and to Anna, her sister who had been trying to help her. “The fact that you do not seek to destroy me in return is proof of your good intentions. You are right, I have no quarrel with the innocent people of Corona and you are right about the fact that maybe, with two dead mothers, it is time to stop this blood feud.” Elsa stood up with a groan and looked into the eyes of this good, naïve and forgiving Princess. “Very well. If you let me go after this war, I shall fight beside you.” As the two princesses shook hands, they both could’ve sworn to feel a spark leap between them. But Elsa couldn’t afford to feel. _For the task at hand, I need to stop feeling at all._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So maybe some of you are thinking: 'pfff, Elsa is way to easy convinced to help her lifelong enemies'. Elsa is helping Rapunzel because she realized the whole reason for her revenge is not justice, but conquest (well, maybe revenge to, but less). She's also impressed by Rapunzel, who won't take revenge on her and she doesn't want innocents to suffer. Dark!Elsa; yes. Evil!Elsa; no. 
> 
> PLEASE COMMENT! I KNOW YOU THINK 'NAH' BUT READING COMMENTS, GOOD OR BAD, REALLY MAKE MY DAY!
> 
> I make no more promises as to how long chapters are going to be. I hope you enjoyed it.


	5. One last hope

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, it has been a while since I updated. I really appreciate that more than 200 people thought this was worthy of reading! Thank you so much! This chapter is the longest so far but they just get longer and longer. Please comment down below what you thought about this chapter and enjoy!

After the princesses shook hands, there fell a silence. Elsa noticed that Cassandra stepped very subtle in front of Rapunzel, as if she expected that she would have to defend the blonde Princess. As the silence continued, Eugene cleared his throat. “Hmmm… as much as I enjoy this awkward moment, are we really going to stand here until the sun rises or are we going to do something?” With these words, everyone snapped out of their trance. “Yeah, we probably need to go,” Rapunzel quickly said, as if she tried to make up for the sudden silence. “My father is going to throw you in jail this morning, which is why we came now. We should go.” As the trio from Corona sped away, they forgot about Elsa. She moved slowly, trying not to reopen her wounds. When Rapunzel finally realized Elsa wasn’t right behind them, she turned only to find her but halfway to the doors of the infirmary. _They did not thought this through,_ Elsa thought as they hurried back for her. Cassandra and Eugene each grabbed one of her arms and helped her walk. She could feel, however, that both of them tried not to shiver from the physical contact with her. She could also see that the free hand of the lady-in-waiting never wandered far from her sword.

It was after three minutes that Rapunzel suddenly halted, nearly causing her friends and Elsa to collide with her. Elsa gritted her teeth, trying to grunt as she could feel that some of her wounds started bleeding again, due to the abrupt stop. Rapunzel turned around and smiled a little embarrassed. “Ehm, we can’t go to my room.” Elsa mentally face-palmed. _They did not thought this through in the slightest._ “I might have told my dad that we could ask for your help so if Elsa is suddenly missing, the first place he’ll look is my room.” Elsa sighted when Cassandra cursed. “Shit. That means that the second and third place they’ll look is my room and Eugene’s.” _It’s almost as if this is the first time they do something against the rules._ The trio thought frantically before the answer came up. “Of course, the Snugly Duckling!” Rapunzel yelled, instantly shutting up when she realized her mistake. Luckily, no guards where nearby to hear her but she continued in a whispering voice anyway. “One of us takes her to the Snugly Duckling, long enough for her to recover and regain her strength. Cass, you can take her through the hidden path out of the castle and…” Cassandra interrupted her in the middle of her sentence. “No. No way. I need to stay with you in case…” She glanced at Elsa before she went on.” In case something happens to you. Beside, when I am not around you, people will start wondering where I am. Guard duty only last so long.” She eyed Eugene. “He can go. Nobody will miss him.” With an offended look on his face, Eugene opened his mouth to reject but then closed it as he too realized it was the best option. “Fine. Just tell everyone I am hanging out with Lance. Taking a secret passage, dodging all the guards, what could possibly go wrong?” Putting it like that, it sounded a lot more dangerous. “You be careful, alright?” Rapunzel asked with a concerned look on her face. “Don’t worry, Blondie,” Eugene said with a crooked smile, “everything will be okay.” Rapunzel nodded and moved to turn around when Elsa stopped her. “You need to send a message to the docks. To the Sea Dragon. Tell the Captain– tell him he needs to wait. He will understand,” she said, looking directly in the Princess’s eyes. Rapunzel nodded one more time before she turned and quickly walked away with Cassandra in her wake. As Elsa watched them round a corner, she looked at Eugene. The guy swallowed visibly as he realized he was now alone with a killer but helped her walk in a different direction anyway. After what seemed like forever, they stopped before a tapestry. Elsa thankfully sunk to a knee, desperately trying to catch her breath and stop the worst of her bleedings. When she looked up, she saw that Eugene had pulled away the tapestry to reveal a door. With visible effort rose Elsa to her feet and stumbled to the wooden gateway. She yanked the door open and went inside, facing the darkness that lay beyond.

**Rapunzel**

From when they parted with the blue-eyed Princess, getting to her room was easy. It felt almost like a normal night hanging out with Cass, were it not that the lady-in-waiting kept looking over her shoulder, checking if nothing, or _no one_ , followed them. The moment they entered her room, Rapunzel loosed a breath she didn’t know she was holding in. She looked up to Cass only to find her staring at her with a look on her face that could only be described as utter fury. “HOW COULD YOU DO THAT!?” she nearly screamed. Rapunzel raised her hands as if she were approaching a wild animal. “Cass, I know but let me explain…” Cassandra stormed toward her. “NO. Zip it! Don’t you ‘Cass’ me,” she said as she grabbed the Princess’ shoulders firm and shook them wild. “How can you make a deal with her? Offer her a pardon. Bloody hell, she killed your mother. You KNOW she is lying about helping us, right?” As Rapunzel began to blush and stutter, Cassandra’s eyes went wide. “You believed her? Why? What did she do to earn your trust after…” Rapunzel’s eyes darted away and her cheeks became even redder. Realization dawned in Cassandra’s eyes. “A crush? You believe every words she said because of some stupid crush!” She turned around and uttered a cynical laugh. Rapunzel was flabbergasted. _A crush? No way, I love Eugene!_ She opened her mouth to protest to this absurd claim but Cassandra beat her to it. “That bitch got you already rapped around her little finger.” She turned around. “I hope you know that every movement she makes, every word she says are only meant to manipulate you.” She shook her head in disdain and looked at the Princess directly. “You may not see it, but I do. She is a danger to you and I will stop her, no matter what.” The guard walked to the door and opened it. She turned around one last time. “Just try not to fall to hard when I turn out to be right.” With those words, she snuck through the door and closed it again, leaving Rapunzel alone with her thoughts. In a haze she removed her clothes, put on a nightgown and crept between the sheets. As she laid there, in the dark, she couldn’t help but think about the words Cass had said. _A crush? B-But… Eugene! I love him! And Elsa is… a girl._ Her thoughts tumbled through each other, but as sleep swept her away, her last thoughts wandered to a certain icy Princess and it was a smile that played around the corners of her mouth.

**Eugene**

They were only halfway there before Elsa collapsed. Eugene kept a high pace, just to make sure they were safe after the kingdom found out Elsa was missing. Elsa hadn’t complained, not once, since she entered the tunnel. Only the occasional groan when she walked to fast or bumped into something. The first few times that happened he quickly looked behind, only to receive a venomous glare. So after those few times, he stopped looking and accepted it. Making it to the end of the tunnel, Eugene reached for the iron bars that sealed the exit of. After a little struggle, he managed to pull them lose and set them aside. Crawling out of the tight tunnel, he couldn’t help but think about his thieving days. _This would have made everything a whole lot simpler._ Staying low, he ducked behind a couple of crates nearby. A brief look told him there were 4 guards patrolling, but with some stealth they should be able to make it. He nearly yelped when he suddenly felt an icy breath in his neck. He hadn’t noticed that Elsa crawled out as well and put the iron bars back. “I have a way to get us past the guards,” he whispered, “just follow my lead.” When he was sure no one was looking, he moved. Dashing from shadow to shadow, he nearly made it to the bridge before the patrol came back around. After securing his position, he turned to see how the Princess was doing. He couldn’t help but feel slightly in awe at the grace the wounded woman was moving. He could see he that she was clearly well trained and wondered was she was capable of in top condition. _Well, figuring what she did to the Queen, I already know._ With that thought came a bit of reality back. And fear. Not for himself, but for Rapunzel. _Who knows what she might do._ He shook his head. _If Rapunzel can trust her, I should at least give her a chance._ So when the patrol passed, he waited for Elsa to catch up with him. “I can’t keep this up. If we need to sprint over the bridge, you need to think of something else,” she panted. He could see blood dripping from her hands. He cursed. No plan, OK. There were only two ways to get of the island. Over the bridge or by boat. _Maybe Max will help._ After all, he is the fastest horse in the kingdom. If anyone could get Elsa across without getting caught, it would be him. He couldn’t help but smile as he thought about all the times Maximus chased _him_ all across the kingdom. But he wouldn’t help Elsa. _It took Rapunzel in order for him to accept me as a criminal._ Beside, there would be no time to get horses. He could see that Elsa was getting worse by the minute. Any bandages she had left, were know soaked with blood. Agitated, he thought of a way, _any_ way, to get across. But no matter what, nothing came up. Only over the bridge or the water and both ways they would be spotted. Unless… A crazy idea formed in his head. Before he could talk himself out of it, he turned to the Princess. “I might have an idea to cross the water but we need to be careful.” He saw the woman roll her eyes. The gesture reminded her of Cassandra. “You _might_ have an idea? Well, that sounds… argh!” she groaned and grabbed her ribs. “Fine. Let’s go.” With those words, Eugene turned his back to the bridge and headed for the quay below them.

 **Elsa**

He was afraid. Elsa could almost feel it, just like she could with everyone back in Arendelle. But whether he was scared of her or for Rapunzel, she had to respect him, maybe just a little bit, for his ingenuity. Turns out, his plan was to go by boat, but right next to the bridge, in its shadow. If they just moved very slowly not a single guard would see them. And it went slow. Very slow. Eugene had to row all alone since she was in no condition. In fact, she could barely remain conscious during the trip. The rocking of the boat, the slow movement, herself lying completely still… it was like a lullaby, lulling her to sleep. But she knew that if she went to sleep, if she gave in, she would not wake up. So she focused with all her might on staying awake. It seemed to take forever, but at last she heard the small woodland creatures, the crashing of the waves on the beach and the wind blowing through the trees. She tried to stand, which caused black spots dancing before her eyes and she dropped immediately. Instead, she crawled to the end of the boat and slowly climbed over the railing, heavily leaning on the wooden frame. Once again did she try to stand and walk, nearly passing out this time. The only thing that kept her from hitting the ground was Eugene, who came back from his quick inspection in the nick of time. Pulling her to her feet, he held her by her shoulders to make sure she wouldn’t fall again. The moment she could walk again, they left, leaving the boat on the beach.

Elsa put one foot in front of the other. And again. And again. And again. It was all she could do to keep going. At one point she heard Eugene say something about ‘it not being far’ but it went past her. She knew she lost a huge amount of blood and only the magic in her veins kept her upright. But she could feel its power dwindling. She started to feel lightheaded. Spinning, everything was spinning. She tried calling Eugene but all that came out was a groan. She stumbled, fell to her knees and heard a faint call as her vision went black.

* * *

As Elsa slowly regained consciousness, she wondered why she wasn’t in the infirmary. Sleepy she opened her eyes, only to find a simple wooden ceiling. Her memories flashed back, causing her to shoot up in bed, all traces of sleep gone. “Wow, easy there Frosty.” she heard a voice say. Looking around, she came to the conclusion she was in some sort of an inn. In her room were a small vanity, a dirty mirror, a closet she thought wouldn’t be able to hold anything except the dust on top of it and the bed she was lying in. The voice, she now saw, was Eugene’s. He stood in the doorway, crooked smile on his face and tray with food in his hands. Looking at the food, Elsa suddenly found out she was famished. Her stomach growled loudly and Eugene started laughing. “Copy that.” he said as he walked toward the bed and handed Elsa the tray when she’d pushed herself up with a groan. Her injuries were still bad, but felt better. She didn’t stop to think what it exactly was that she was eating. When she was done, she stood up despite the ache in her chest, arms… well, everywhere. She steadied herself with the vanity. “What happened?” An order, not a question. Eugene looked semi-thoughtful. “Well, you passed out on the way here due to, I think, blood loss. I had to carry you all the way here. That was… 2 days ago. You’ve been out for almost 2 ½ day.” He smirked. “I guess you needed your beauty sleep.” When Elsa ignored him and tried to walk out he stopped her, completely serious now. “You can’t go.” This got Elsa’s attention. The temperature dropped slightly and Eugene quickly explained. “Guards are all over the kingdom looking for you. If you go out now, you won’t make it 30 minutes. Beside that, you wouldn’t make it that far anyway. I mean, look at you. You’re almost falling apart. The best thing you can do is wait, rest, heal up and don’t get caught.” Elsa contemplated this for a moment. _He does make a point. I am too weak now. But on the other hand, if am to help defend against my own father, we have no time to lose. And… Rapunzel is in the castle._ Rapunzel. Elsa couldn’t quite figure her out. Sure, she knew about her life, the facts, just like she knew about Eugene and Cassandra, but there was something about the Princess that put things in motion, things she was unfamiliar with. She shook her head. She would figure it, _her,_ out later. She looked at Eugene, who was still waiting for her response. “Fine. I will remain here, but not for longer than one week. After that, you can either come with me or stand in my way.” He nodded and turned around to leave her alone. “Oh and one more thing, Eugene Fitzherbert,” she said. He turned around expectantly. “Call me ‘Frosty’ one more time and you will regret it.” she said with an ice-cold voice. The moment she said it, however, she knew she made a mistake. Elsa saw the gleam in his eyes and the small smile tugging around the corners of his mouth and sighted. _This is going to be a long week._

She was right. It would indeed be a very long week. But not necessarily because of the reasons she thought of. Sure, Eugene would be highly annoying, but it was something Elsa could ignore. No, it was the rest and quietness that slowly killed her. She was a soldier, a fighter. The last 11 years she’d been preparing for her mission. _Ex-mission._ Now, she was unsure about what to do, who to be. She decided to focus on something familiar; revenge. But after, assuming there was an ‘after’, what then? After weeks of torture and action, there was now nothing but peace. Nothing to do but think. When Eugene would come visit, sometimes accompanied by a tall, dark and bald man he introduced as Lance Strongbow, she hid everything away. But it would always come back. It was a strange experience for Elsa. She wasn’t used to all of… this. _Don’t feel._ So when the week slowly passed and she felt her strength return to her, her wounds healed by the magic in her blood, she did not hesitate.

**Rapunzel**

Rapunzel was so _done!_ Done with everything. Eugene for taking so damn long to come back, Cass for treating her like a little glass doll, her father for having no common sense what so ever and Elsa for being so… so… Elsa! Since Cass had spoken her thoughts two days ago, she hadn’t been able to stop thinking about it. Why on Earth would she have a crush on Elsa? For an outrageous idea, it stuck pretty well. She barely had done anything else but wonder aimlessly through the castle, thinking about Elsa. She was just done. So today, she decided, she would do something completely different. She stepped out of bed and stretched, letting out a long yawn. Quickly changing in some normal clothes, she rushed down, grabbed some breakfast and went back to her room. _It had been way to long since she had spent some quality time with Pascal. Maybe they could play some hide-and-seek. That was so much fun back in the…_ Rapunzel stopped in her tracks, finding breathing suddenly hard. _The tower_. She hadn’t thought about it for so long. _That damn tower. Why can’t it just leave me alone._ Where she’d been kept for 18 years, locked up. Where Eugene had died. DIED! And Mother… She knew of course Gothel wasn’t her real mother but still… it was hard to change the way thinking about her. She took a few deep breaths to calm herself. _Everything is OK. It was three years ago. I am free. I am out. Eugene is alive._ Even though she hadn’t dared to go back… She shook her head and walked on. _All of that is in the past._ She opened her door, ready to start her Eugene/Elsa/Cass-free day, only to find Eugene, relaxing in one of her chairs.

“Hey Blondie, sorry that I…” was as far as he got before Rapunzel tackled him in a hug. She saw Eugene smugly smiling and let go, punching him instead hard on his arm. “Where the fuck were you? Do you know you were gone for 2 ½ day? Not a single message. Please tell me everything went according to plan. I mean, the guards checked 2 times here. And how…” Eugene held up his hands to stop the mountain of questions coming out of her. “Wow! Go easy on the question-machine there. Now, let me _tell_ you what happened.” And so he did. He told her everything from the moment they parted ways in the hallway. “And today she woke up and I came as fast as I could. She will come here in one week, healthy or not. You better be ready for it, she seemed pretty intense.” he said. With a crooked smile he added, “And yes, I missed you too.” _One week,_ Rapunzel thought while hugging him again. _I have one week to find a way to make Dad work with her_. _I’ve got this._

Unfortunately for Rapunzel, the week passed way to quickly. Eugene would come in every two days to keep her updated, sometimes with Lance. Not that there was a lot important information to know. Mainly it was that Elsa wasn’t caught, still healing and sleeping a lot. Knowing that she was safe did not help her with her current dilemma; convincing her father to work with Elsa. Any scenario’s she ran in her head, any conversations she had all turned out the same; both of them yelling at each other, disagreeing. She considered so many times to ask Cass for advice but ever since their talk, any intercourse between them awkward and formal. She knew she would have to let it go but she just… couldn’t. But it didn’t make it any easier. The only thing that went relatively well was the message Elsa told her to send to the docks. After she found the ship, she told the Captain what Elsa told her to say. The man merely nodded at the cryptic message. He observed her, almost like he was surprised to see her. She quickly left the ship, other things consuming her thoughts. So when that week passed, she still had no clue whatsoever.

* * *

As the Princess walked into her chamber, she let out a frustrated groan. Another fruitless day thinking about how she could possibly introduce Elsa in such a way that her father would not kill her on sight. She knew she would have to plan it in a way that her father could actually see that Elsa was in fact their only option to survive, apart from running away. But of course nothing came to her mind. She let herself fall onto the bed and let out another groan. She noticed something little walked over to her and sat beside her head. She sighted. “What do I do, Pascal? How on Earth could I convince Dad to work with Elsa?” She sat up straight and looked at the little chameleon. He just shrugged his shoulders and climbed up to her shoulder. The familiar feeling made her feel a little bit better. As she reached for her diary, she heard knocking on the door. “Princess Rapunzel, can I come in?” she heard a soft voice call. “Yeah sure. Come on in!” Rapunzel smiled. It was still funny to hear people ask permission to come in and other normal stuff. A young woman, around her age came in, facing the ground. She was wearing the standard outfit for a servant girl and was carrying a bundle of black clothes. Rapunzel stiffened. _Black, always black…_ She frowned as she looked upon the clothes. “I think there’s been some sort of mistake. I haven’t asked for anything black.” The maid put the clothes down on a vanity. “You don’t understand. This is not for you. It is mine,” she said as she turned to face Rapunzel, who let out a surprised yell. “Elsa!” The blonde Princess ran toward the white-haired one and pulled her in a hug. Elsa stiffened. “Scream a little bit louder, I think the guards haven’t heard you.” Rapunzel let her go and smiled sheepishly. “Sorry. I am just glad you’re finally here. How did you get in? And where is Eugene?” Elsa shrugged. “I came in through the same passage I went out. I stole one of these costumes and walked here,” she explained. “About Eugene, he should be here any minute.” Without warning, Elsa untied her dress and let it fall to the ground, causing another yelp from Rapunzel. “W-What are you doing?” she asked, quickly turning around with a blush she hoped the other girl wouldn’t see. “I am not wearing these clothes any longer than I have to. I don’t think I will have a chance to get changed anytime soon.” she said, as she unwrapped the bundle clothes and started to put them on. Despite everything, Rapunzel couldn’t resist but to peek over her shoulder. What she saw shocked her. Elsa was standing with her back turned toward her. A pair of black pants already covered her legs, but her complete upper torso was naked. And over the entire length of her back ran five scars. And not small, little things. No, it were thick ridges, almost as wide as her finger. Rapunzel gasped and her eyes involuntarily filled with tears. “Elsa…” she whispered, as she slowly walked towards her. Elsa threw a look over her shoulder, only to find Rapunzel with an outstretched hand about to touch her back. Elsa eyes widened and threw her arm forward and suddenly there was a wall of ice, shielding of Elsa. At the sight of this, Rapunzel’s jaw dropped. _The ice weapons…_ The moment when she tried to touch it though, it disappeared as fast as it had appeared. The wall revealed Elsa, with a black shirt and cloak on, face completely emotionless. Rapunzel could barely do anything beside gawk at her. After what felt like an eternity, she snapped out of it. “Elsa…” she started again, not exactly sure what to say in the first place. She didn’t have to say anything because Eugene managed to startle both of them when he came in the room. For a moment, he too stood frozen in the room, staring at Elsa while his hands slowly went to his sword. Rapunzel was sure that if he tried, he could actually _cut_ the tension in the room. That same tension resolved when the door opened again, this time revealing Cassandra. Elsa immediately turned away and slowly walked over a chair near her. She sat down and looked at all of them, though Rapunzel thought her gaze lingered a little longer on her. Not that she was sure, she barely could think about anything else than what she just saw and Elsa’s face revealed nothing. Both Cassandra and Eugene also walked to some chairs until they all sat, facing Rapunzel. They sat in a triangle now, Eugene and Cassandra on one side, Elsa on the other and Rapunzel, standing in the middle of it all. She swallowed nervously. _Just focus._ “So… We are all here now. Great! We can begin!” she began, hoping no one would notice the forced excitement she laced her voice with. “I-We need to make a plan to convince my father to let you,” she gestured to Elsa, “work with us and help us. The thing is, my father is very… stubborn. He already said ‘no’ once and I don’t have a clue how to make him see otherwise.” she finished. None of them spoke, lost in thoughts. Rapunzel’s thoughts wandered away, since this was the exact problem she’d been trying to solve for a week. Sitting in a room with both Eugene and Elsa at the same time, it felt weird. On one hand, she loved Eugene. They’d been through so much together. But on the other hand… she was drawn toward Elsa in a way she couldn’t explain. A part of her didn’t want to. She murdered her mother, after all. On all accounts had she proven to be untrustworthy. Yet there was something about Elsa that did make her want to trust her. She felt a connection, somehow. Not to mention that she was really beautiful… _But those scars._ They were horrific. Who on earth would do that, to anyone? The image was burned in her mind. _Those gashes on her back._ She wanted to know what happened to her. She wanted to know _her._ It was all so confusing, really. Everyone told her not to trust her, that she was a murderer so why can’t she do it?

“-unzel. Earth to Rapunzel?” Rapunzel blinked a couple of times. “Sorry, what? I guess I got lost in thoughts.” she muttered. Eugene laughed, because he was the one who spoke, of course. “Yeah, I figured as much. What we were trying to tell you is that Cassandra,” he scowled at her name,” has an idea on how to persuade your father.” She looked at her lady-in-waiting, who was glaring at Eugene. After one last venomous look she turned to Rapunzel. “So, I though like this: we need the King to understand that in order to win this was, we need _her_. “ She pointed at Elsa, who nodded. She continued. “So we need to make him see that without her knowledge, we’ll lose. If that is the case, then this is what we could do. She’ll give you some intel on the incoming army. You’ll tell your dad this intel and construct a plan that would work. Then, you introduce Elsa and tell your dad she told you everything and knows even more. That way, he would have no other option than to see that she is on our side and is willing to help.” Cassandra finished. Rapunzel frowned. “But what if he thinks she is lying?” Cassandra snorted. “As if he could. The King is no fool. He knows the predicament we are in and has no other choice. Beside, Elsa could have run at any given time, leaving us. But she didn’t. That is at least some proof of her good intentions.” Rapunzel nodded, deep in thought. The plan made sense and was very much Cass’s style. _Logical and straight through the middle, no flair and other unnecessary things_ , she thought with a smile. “OK, sounds solid to me. Any objections?”

 _2 hours later_

As Rapunzel approached her father’s office, she couldn’t suppress a feeling of dread. She turned to Eugene, who was walking right beside her. “I have a bad feeling about this. Maybe we should find another way.” Eugene just smiled at her. “Don’t worry Blondie. I’m sure you’ll do great. We all have faith in you.” Although she appreciated the words, they did little to comfort her. She shivered and realised Elsa too was not as calm as she looked. There was no way the castle would be this cold if not for her. She hoped it wouldn’t get any worse then this, otherwise they might lose their best advantage: the element of surprise. She inhaled and exhaled deeply a few times in an effort to calm herself. _Don’t worry, you’ve done much more difficult things than this._ Her thoughts were rudely interrupted when they found themselves in front of the doors of her father’s office. She smiled at the guards in front of it. “Hey Stan, hey Pete. Is my dad busy? I would like to talk to him for a moment.” She turned around to her companions. “You know what to do.” She said and faced the doors again before opening them and stepping inside. When she was through, the guards closed them behind her, leaving her with her father. He looked at her from behind his desk. “Rapunzel, darling, what is the matter?” Once again, she took a few deep breaths. “Dad, I need to talk to you about something. It’s about the incoming army.” She shook her head. “The way things are now, it is a fight we can’t win!” Her father smiled reassuring. “There is no need to worry so much. I am sure we will find some way to make sure-“ She slammed her hands on the desk, interrupting him immediately. “No, you don’t understand! You have no idea what we are up against! This army… it’s brutal. If there is one thing they are, it’s efficient. They have no mercy for whoever they deem unimportant. When they come, and they will, they will kill everyone who is not safe inside the walls. And even those people will not be safe if they breach them! We need a plan, a real plan, to protect those who cannot protect themselves. Not just ‘let them hide behind a wall’ but a safe place no one knows about.” She braced herself for the argument to come. “We should move everyone to the tower.”

Her father looked at her. “Rapunzel, are you sure about this?” She blinked a couple of times. _What?_ It wasn’t quite the reaction she was expecting. “I mean, going back there, it might trigger some unpleasant memories.” _Ah, so that is what he thinks._ “Dad, I’m not going there with the people in the town. I’m staying here, because you need me. I am glad you approve of my plan but the Arendellians will be looking for you and me. If we are both here, they have no reason to be looking for anyone else.” Her father let out a big sigh. “Come on, Rapunzel. You know it is for your own safety. You-“ His eyes narrowed. “How do you know all this? I haven’t told you about this and I explicitly forbade my generals to tell you anything about this. So how do you know about the strengths of this army? How do you know about their effectiveness? This is highly classified knowledge, only me and my top generals know about it. Unless… you’ve been talking to an insider. The Princess’s disappearance, you had something to do with it, didn’t you? Tell me, where is she hiding?” He had risen up from behind his desk and was walking toward her. The look on his face had changed from weary to angry and Rapunzel couldn’t do anything but walk back. “Dad, no. You don’t underst-“ This time he interrupted her. “I don’t understand, you say? Then please, do make me understand. How did you get information like this if not from her? Where are you hiding her? Did you forget what she did to us, to our family? She is dangerous!” She now stood with her back against the wall. His hands grabbed her shoulders tight, leaving her without a place to go. “I-I… she’s…” she stuttered, not sure what to say. _Shit, this is not how I wanted this to go._ She was stuck, at a dead end. She hung her head down, about to tell everything. He would find out soon anyway. Just when she opened her mouth, she felt a sudden drop in temperature. The doors flung open. “I am right here.”

**Elsa**

“You know what to do.” the Princess said before she opened her father’s doors and went in. The guards, Stan and Pete, closed the doors behind her and eyed her suspiciously. With her dark cloak to hide her face, she did look odd. “Hey guys. Looking good, as ever.” Eugene walked up to them. “Also, I am terribly sorry about this.” He drew his sword and smacked the handle hard on the helmet of the one with a large moustache. He collapsed, leaving the last guard with wide eyes before Cassandra did the same to him. They grabbed their bodies and quickly hid them in a nearby room. Elsa closed in on the door and listened closely. The point was that Rapunzel’s friends would take care of the guards and she would stand by, ready to go in when she was called. The guards would never allow it so they needed to be disposed of. She heard the Princess explain their plan and nodded. Everything was going as planned. It was a good plan, after all. She nearly missed it, though. As they were brainstorming, all she could think about was Rapunzel. _She saw them. She SAW them._ She tried to hide her scars when she could. But she let her guard down when she undressed in the Princess’s room. She was too distracted with the fact that Rapunzel saw her naked that she never considered her scars. She frowned at the door. She was getting sloppy. In these last few weeks with Rapunzel, she _felt_ more than she had the last couple of years. _Feeling won’t end well. You need to get a grip on yourself!_ But she just couldn’t help herself. She felt some sort of connection with Rapunzel. She shouldn’t care what that Princess thought, but in the meeting she couldn’t stop thinking about what _she_ was thinking. About her scars, not to mention how she looked when she put up that wall. _Don’t feel don’t feel don’t feel don’t feel._ She knew it wouldn’t end well but she was drawn toward her. She was so lost in thought that she nearly missed the sound of a chair being shoved backwards. _Damn! Get yourself together._ She needed to get rid of those feeling before they distracted her too much. Focussing on the sounds inside the room, she could hear The King shouting. Something about where someone was. _Crap, he knows._ She heard Rapunzel mumble something and she rose up. _Enough of this._ She flung the doors open. “I am right here.” she said.

When she looked at the scenario in front of her, she had to actively suppress the need to rush over to The King and run him through. He stood close to Rapunzel, his hands on her shoulders and gripping them tightly. She closed the doors behind her and walked toward them. As soon as The King recognised her, he started calling the guards. She smiled. “Don’t bother, they can’t hear you. I made sure of that. “ He shoved Rapunzel behind him and drew his sword. Before he could make a move though, Rapunzel dashed past him and made a stand between them. “Don’t fight her, she is here to help!” she shouted. The King looked at her, more hurt than anything else. “How could you?” he whispered. “She murdered your mother.” The Princess sighted. “I know, Dad. But Mom wouldn’t for us to refuse her help just because of her. She can help. All the stuff I told you, she told me. And before you say anything, yes it is true. She could’ve run on a lot of different occasions, but she didn’t.” Elsa was baffled. _That she would protect me like this._ It was what they had agreed upon but to hear her say it with that much passion, it moved something in her. It moved the part that was drawn to Rapunzel. She shoved it down again and focussed on the conversation. The King had lowered his weapon and looked at his daughter. Rapunzel on her part looked at him. Non said anything. She coughed. “Listen, she is right. Without my help, you won’t win this war. That army will be here in a few months and you don’t have that many men. They won’t hurry, because other countries won’t help you. My father made treaties with them, promising them very lucrative trades if they stay out of this. So don’t expect any help. I could help you. Attack strategies, weaknesses. I know more then you could imagine about this army.” The King scoffed but sheathed his sword. “Why on earth would you help us, Princess? And what do you want in return? I assume you want something out of this.” He spoke like the words left a foul taste in his mouth. “I came here to avenge my mother. Nothing else. We all know how that ended. But she,” she pointed at Rapunzel, “showed me that she could forgive after everything I did. That her mother wouldn’t want that she would be consumed by it, like me. She told me that we need to forget this blood feud and move on. And she is right. When I think about it, I doubt my mother would want this for me. My sister… she tried to tell me but I wouldn’t listen. Beside, I have nothing against the people of Corona. It may be too late for me, but I won’t let my father hurt anyone else. As for a reward, I want just what your daughter promised me. A royal pardon for my actions. I will no longer seek anything from you and leave. I just- I just want to be left alone. Let this end here and now.” As she said those words, she knew she was right. _I just want to be left alone after this. Go somewhere where no one has heard about Arendelle or Corona. A fresh start._ “So, what do you say? Work with me and have a chance to survive, or deny and die a painful death.” She looked at him and then at Rapunzel. The Princess looked at her like she’d never seen her before. She could see sadness, joy and something she did not quite recognise in her eyes. Despite of everything, she smiled at her. _What are you doing?!_ she thought. Why was she so drawn toward this blonde Princess? She needed to distance herself from her. Emotions she had not felt in years started to come up, just at the sight of this cute Princess. _Cute? What are you thinking?!_ She tore her gaze of the Princess and looked at The King again. He looked back and nodded. “I accept your help. I understand what you say about my wife and your mother. It is tragic, but both of those actions are in the past. Help us win this war and the royal pardon will be yours. If what you say is indeed true, you might just be our one last hope. But understand this: I might tolerate you but I will never, ever forgive you for what you did to my wife and tried to do with my daughter.” He turned around and sat down behind his desk. “Now leave. I have a lot to arrange. When I need your advice, Princess Elsa, I will send for you. Rapunzel can show you to your room.” The Princesses left the room and Rapunzel squealed a bit. “It worked! I can hardly believe it worked!” She ran towards Elsa and threw her arms around her neck, hugging her tightly. Elsa stiffened, not sure what to do. Rapunzel quickly noticed her awkwardness and let go. “Sorry, I just let myself go.” she said with a giggle. A blush appeared on her cheeks and she turned away. “Now follow me. I will show you to your room.” She turned to face her and smiled warmly. “Thank you. For helping us. I look forward to working with you. Beside, I have some things I want to ask you, if you don’t mind.” Elsa swallowed and followed the blonde Princess, both excited and afraid of what the future might hold.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If anyone wondered; no, Elsa is not yet healed but enough to move around with relative ease. This is because of her magic, it helps her heal. I don't know when I'll update again. I had some trouble figuring out where to go with the story but I am glad how it turned out. If you have any suggestions as to how you would like this to continue, please write it! I would really appreciate it. Also, I think this needs more tags but I am really bad at tagging so if you have any suggestions, I would be very grateful and update this. Anyways, thanks for reading, comment down below any pro's and cons to help me improve my writing and a happy 2020!


	6. Invoke magic

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M ALIVE!!  
> Yes, I know it took a while (5 months) to post this but I took a little hiatus and this chapter was surprisingly difficult to write. I am still not completely satisfied with it but here you go anyway. I hope everyone is doing well with this Corona stuff and everything. Here is another kind of Corona to take your mind off of it. I also made the huge mistake in saying that Rapunzel is 'Blond' which she isn't off course. I hope you forgive me. Anyway, enjoy!
> 
> Btw, Thanks so much for the comments and kudos! They are an enormous inspiration and drive. I'm happy to see some people enjoy this!

The arrow struck the middle of the target with a satisfying sound. Three more quickly followed, all in a radius of 7 centimetres at most. Elsa walked up to the target to retrieve her arrows, tension written all over her. She just had a run-in with Cassandra. She knew the lady-in-waiting didn’t trust her and, in all honesty, she couldn’t blame her but it had become a habit to come to the practice field to make sure no one was around when she’d had another meeting. A good thing this time, since Elsa left a trail of frost in her wake. She yanked the arrows out of the hay and started walking back. There was another reason she was annoyed. _I’ve become weak,_ she thought with a scowl. Not physically. Physically she was as good as she ever was. It had been a month since she’d become an advisor to the King. With special ‘bodyguards’. They’d devised several strategies that might work against her father. No, she’d become _emotionally_ weak. In the sense that she started to feel again. Annoyance, when she spoke to an infuriating lady-in-waiting, for example. She knew she shouldn’t feel and yet it happened anyway. _It is Rapunzel._ Elsa was certain of it. The walls she so carefully put up were crumbling, thanks to her warm smile and cheery personality. Back at her starting point, Elsa turned on her heel and grabbed her bow. Carefully aiming for the target…

“Hey. Watcha doing?” Elsa spun around, pointing her arrow at whoever surprised her. “Wow Elsa. It’s just me.” Elsa loosened her breath at the sight of the other Princess. “Nothing Rapunzel, just practicing. Why are you here?” Rapunzel shrugged. “I was bored and wanted to ask if you wanted to come to town with me. We can go to the library, get some snacks, maybe go shopping.” Elsa sighted and put her bow and arrows on the racks they were meant for. “Cassandra can go with you, I’m busy at the mo…” As she started to walk away, Rapunzel grabbed her hand. “You’re always busy. If not with meetings with my dad, than with training. Now is as good a time as ever. And I could ask Cass but,” Rapunzel swallowed and looked away,” I want to go with you.” At those words, something in Elsa’s chest fluttered, only for it to be smashed down immediately. She turned to face the Princess. “Look, it is not safe for you to go with me. Something could…” The Princess once again interrupted Elsa. “I know, I know but I’ll be fine. Your guards and mine could fight of any threat, not to mention yourself. I haven’t seen anyone who can beat you, not even Cass! Don’t worry. We could get you a pretty necklace from one of the jewellery shops. Besides, I wanted to ask you a few…” Rapunzel’s words faded away. _Necklace. Jewellery._ Elsa’s heart pounded. Her chest tightened. She started panting. _Necklace. Purple crocus. Anger. Fear. Pain pain pain PAIN PAIN!_ Her eyes shot open, only to find herself in a full circle of icy spikes, pointed at everyone but herself. The points of the spears from the guards, however, were pointed at her. Rapunzel, hidden behind the guards, looked at her with a worried expression. With a wave of her hand Elsa thawed the ice and looked at Rapunzel. “The problem is, Your Highness, that no one can beat me. _I_ am the danger. I can’t protect you from myself. Now if you’ll excuse me.” She turned around and walked away from the baffled Princess. _Another feeling,_ Elsa though. _Fear._

**Rapunzel**

_What just happened?_ Rapunzel stared dumbfounded at the spot Elsa had been just a few seconds ago. She’d never seen Elsa lose control like that. Sure, every once in a while some people slipped on some ice but nothing serious. Nothing like… this. _Was this because of the questions I wanted to ask?_ The night her dad and Elsa came to an agreement she’d wanted to ask questions. But Elsa had said that her wounds hurt and needed some rest. So, Rapunzel left her alone. And ever since that time, Elsa managed to avoid her with some excuse that she was ‘busy’. But she wanted to know. She still wants to know. In this month, Rapunzel had done some soul-searching. She wanted, _needed,_ Elsa as a close friend, if nothing more. The idea of a crush started to pop up in her head more frequently… “Elsa! Wait!” She ran after the Princess, hoping to catch up. _There!_ “Elsa! I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to hurt you or…” “Don’t worry about it, Rapunzel. It wasn’t your fault.” The white-haired Princess leaned against the wall. _Is she… is she shaking?_ Rapunzel watched closer and found that Elsa’s hand was indeed trembling. In the month that she’d known Elsa, she’d never seen something like that. The icy Princess saw her staring and clenched her fist. “I’m sorry but I’ve got to go now.” With those words, Elsa hastily went up the stairs and this time, Rapunzel didn’t follow.

_A few hours later_

Rapunzel stood in front of Elsa’s door, hand raised to knock. However, she hesitated. Maybe it was just her fantasy, but she liked to believe that Elsa and her were friends. She wanted to help her but had no idea how Elsa was feeling. _She’s always so… cold._ She had to admit, it had become better in the past month but still. _She never opens up, to anyone._ Suddenly resolute, she shook her head and knocked on the door. _I’ll prove that she can trust me. And maybe then will she open up…_ She heard a soft voice on the other side of the door. “Come in.” Rapunzel opened the door and entered. “Hey Elsa.” She closed the door behind her. “I know I already said it, but I’m sorry for what happened this afternoon.” She saw Elsa, sitting in one of the chairs, staring at the wall. “What’s wrong?” she asked, worried. Whenever she came to visit, Elsa was always, _always,_ doing something. Reading, studying maps, working out. Never just… nothing. She walked over to where the girl was sitting and softly touched her arm. That got Elsa attention. She faced the brunette and sighted. “Nothing’s wrong. I already told you. You don’t have to concern yourself with it.” Rapunzel sat down in another chair, facing the white-haired girl. “Still though, can I ask what happened?” Elsa said nothing and just stared at her. Eventually, she sighted and started to speak. “My magic- it has always been connected to my emotions. Back there, on the training grounds, I lost my cool. You can see the results.” She laughed bitterly. “It doesn’t seem I’m good for anything else than hurting people.” Rapunzel’s heart flinched at those words. _What did she had to go through to become like this?_ “But if this doesn’t happen very often, then how did you control your magic before, well, everything?” Elsa gave one more intense look before she turned away. “It’s simple, really. By not feeling. I used to work with a mantra. ‘Conceal, don’t feel’. It worked well until… never mind.” Rapunzel crept a little closer in her chair, indicating she wanted to hear more. Elsa sighted. “Look, this isn’t really something I like to talk about, okay. The past is in the past. We can’t go back and change it so there’s really no need to think about it.” Rapunzel nodded. She understood what Elsa was talking about. Thinking about the tower, Gothel. All the ‘what-if’s’. She was lucky to have Eugene and –eventually- Cassandra by her side. Elsa had to do it all alone. Rapunzel doubted, however, if Elsa should _not_ think about it. One had to overcome ones past and make peace with it. Elsa just went on, destroying herself in the process. Maybe she should face it. But… “Hey Elsa? Cass said she found something interesting. We were going to explore it. Maybe you want to join us?” Elsa’s lips tucked up, the tiniest bit. “I don’t think Cassandra had me in mind when she wanted to ask someone.” “Maybe not but you need something to take your mind off of things. Relax a bit and come with us. It’ll be fun, come on!” Rapunzel exclaimed. _It might be just what she needs to relax and open up more._ “Okay then. If you really want me to, I’ll join you. But if any troubles comes up with Cassandra, you can handle it.” Rapunzel almost squealed in excitement. This was gonna be fun!

**Elsa**

_Relax. Take my mind off of things. Fun._ Elsa felt… weird. Excited in some way. She couldn’t say it was unpleasant but it was distracting. So much so that she didn’t react when provoked by Cassandra. Saddling the horses, riding toward the border. She did everything on autopilot. _Fun._ She was about to have fun. With Rapunzel. It had been so long since she could relax, without expectations from everyone. _The look in her eyes when I said yes. Her excitement._ Out of everyone in her new life in Corona, Rapunzel was the only one who wasn’t pretending. To not be scared, to not be hateful. She was herself. It was refreshing. She made Elsa feel, not like a killer or a tool, someone to be scared off but like a human. Like a woman. So yeah, weird was a good way to describe it. While thinking all these thoughts, Elsa hardly noticed they had approached a wall. A big wall. As they stopped in front of it, she saw it towering over her. Despite herself, Elsa had to be a bit impressed as Cassandra scaled it without any visible effort. She threw down a rope and in no time all three were standing on top of it. With the sun setting on the horizon, painting the skies every kind of colour, Elsa felt something stir within her. _Beautiful._ Yes, this was beautiful. For no reason at all, she looked sideways at Rapunzel. She was standing, mesmerized, with the wind in her hair. But what really caught Elsa’s attention was the look in her eyes. Filled with wonder, she was staring at the landscape. _Undoubtedly imagining all the adventures she could have._

“You’re staring.” a voice whispered over her shoulder. Spinning on her heel, Elsa found herself face to face with Cassandra. “I don’t what you’re plotting or how you got her to join us, but know that I’ll be watching you.” _So Rapunzel didn’t tell her. Why?_ “Don’t worry, I know you don’t trust me. I wouldn’t do something that could jeopardize my agreement with the king.” Elsa said coolly. The handmaiden stared at her for a little longer. Then, she walked past Elsa to the Princess. “Hey Raps. You should go first.” Rapunzel turned to her. “Isn’t this just an amazing view? I could stay up here forever! But let’s go.”

Rappelling to the ground was easy. Using Cassandra’s rope once again, Rapunzel went down first. After a last scowl from the lady-in-waiting, Elsa rappelled down. Dropping the rope to the ground, Cassandra scaled down, landing gracefully. “It’s quite a walk. Let’s get going, shall we?”

The walk there was rather uneventful. A simple dirt road went on and on without anything remarkable happening. Rapunzel started energetic but even her spirit seemed to be brought down. One time, they heard a wolf howl in the distance, but that was it. Elsa started to wonder what was out here that was worth it and what the lady-in-waiting was doing out here in the first place. She doubted she would get any answers but the silence in which they continued gave her an opportunity to sort things out in her head. Or so she tried. She should view everything that happened as just another mission, nothing special. But she just couldn’t for some reason. _Why can’t this just make sense!?_ She _felt_ more than she had in all her time in Arendelle and –ironically- she didn’t know how to feel about it. It’s all so confusing. And Rapunzel. Rapunzel was a different matter entirely. The fluttering thingy in her chest whenever she spoke with the brunette. Elsa had never felt like that before. She didn’t know how to deal with it. And the questions Rapunzel wanted to ask. This afternoon she started again. Elsa had done her best to avoid the subject, not just here but all her life. _My past. What happened to me to make me… this._ She knew, off course, but talking about it would make everything so tangible. Beside, she didn’t want Rapunzel to find out. Once she did, nothing would be the same again between them. _But do I want things to stay as they are?_ A tiny voice couldn’t help but whisper in her mind. Again with the fluttering in her chest. Smashing them was getting tiresome really soon. But what would happen in she let them do… whatever it is they did? _More feelings, no doubt._ she thought irritated. _Best to keep them down._

As she was considering what to do with everything, this time Elsa didn’t fail to notice the change in their surroundings. The trees they were walking beneath where making place for steep cliffs. _The ocean? Why are we…?_ “Ehm, Cass? What are we doing by the ocean?” Rapunzel’s voice, asking what she was thinking, brought her back to the present. “What did you want to show me?” Cassandra walked to the cliffs and –much to Elsa’s surprise- started down a path. “Believe me, it’s better if you see it for yourself.”

Once on the path, it was clear what Cassandra wanted to show. Halfway down the cliff was a natural ridge, wide enough for 5 people to stand side by side. But that was not the weird part. It were the rocks. _Black rocks?_ All over the ridge were black, pointy rocks. The ridge itself ended in a gathering of black rocks. And these black rocks seemed to be gathering around a stone pedestal. Now on the ridge, the three inspected the black rocks. “They’re beautiful. What are they?” Rapunzel asked, crouching near a rock, almost touching it. “Don’t know. They just kind of sprouted up here.” Cassandra answered. She drew her sword. Holding it above her head, she looked like she was going to swing against the rocks. “And watch this.” She struck the rocks head on with the blade and to Elsa’s and Rapunzel’s surprise, the blade completely shattered. “Arrggh.” Elsa fell to her knees. The moment Cassandra’s sword hit the rocks, some immense pressure seemed to be building up in Elsa’s head. “Elsa! Are you okay?” Rapunzel rushed over. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just a sudden headache. Don’t worry.” Elsa stood up, hand pressed against her head. It seemed like her head was going to explode! This never happened before. _And exactly when Cassandra struck the rocks._ “Anyway, as you can see, they’re unbreakable.” Cassandra continued. “And you want to know the weirdest part?” She faced the pedestal with Rapunzel, who started walking towards it. “This is where they found the miracle flower that saved your Mom.” Elsa, just a little bit behind Cassandra, pressed her hand harder against her head. With every step Rapunzel took, the pressure in her head seemed to increase. “And me.” Rapunzel whispered, wiping some dust of the pedestal. And through the pain, Elsa saw something strange. The black rocks near the pedestal started to glow blue. And with it, the pressure increased further in Elsa’s head. Now with both palms pressed against her head, she fell to her knees again. But no one came to her help. Elsa saw Rapunzel, almost in trance, standing before the black rocks. She moved her hand toward it and the closer she came, the brighter the rocks glowed. Elsa groaned in agony. Rapunzel came closer and closer…

A bright light exploded from them the moment Rapunzel touched the rocks. At the same time the pressure in Elsa’s head faded away, as instantly as it had come. She stood up and looked around. The light explosion had thrown Rapunzel and Cassandra away but they seemed unharmed. The pedestal, on the other hand, was cracked and looked like it could crumble any minute. The icy Princess walked toward the other two girls, who were already standing up. The moment they stood up, Rapunzel and Cassandra gasped in unison. “Rapunzel? Is something wrong?” Rapunzel was standing with her back turned to Elsa, who started to get worried. _Was she hurt after all?_ Rapunzel slowly turned her head around to Elsa, only to show a very blonde and very _glowing_ lock of hair on her forehead.

**Rapunzel**

The instant she saw them, Rapunzel was mesmerized by the black rocks. And when Cassandra’s sword shattered against them she found herself even more fascinated. But the pedestal was something else. _This is where they found the miracle flower?_ Before she knew it, she stood in front of it, wiping the thick layer of dust from the pedestal. It revealed some kind of writing in a language she couldn’t read. _This… this is where it all began._ Suddenly, the black rocks surrounding the pedestal started glowing. But where she should have felt surprised, she didn’t. She felt like it was completely natural. She stood before them, staring at the faint glow. And that is where she noticed it. The urge to touch the rocks. It was as if the rocks were telling her to do so. And she agreed. Slowly she moved her hand towards the pointy black rocks. She heard a groan behind her. _Elsa…_ She wanted to help but couldn’t bring herself to abandon the rocks. Rapunzel came closer and closer…

A flash of light blinded her and she was thrown backwards. She hit the floor hard, but it didn’t felt like anything was broken. A soft groan told her someone else was very near. She opened her eyes and saw Cass lying next to her. _She must have been thrown back as well._ Rapunzel thought. She stood up and noticed something glowing next to her head. She realized what it was and her mind went blank. _H-how? It can’t be! It was cut!_ She heard Elsa call out and turned around, showing her renewed blond lock of hair.

Time to wonder further about this miracle was interrupted as –out of nowhere- a black rock sprouted up between Elsa and herself. She jumped back in surprise. She looked to the pedestal and saw more rocks shooting up from the ground, coming toward them. “Time to go!” Cass yelled behind her. Rapunzel didn’t waste any time and sprinted the path up from which they came. When all three were on top of the cliff again, they turned around. The black rocks were still shooting up, following them at an alarming pace. “No time to waste, we need to keep moving!” A shout from Elsa this time, who was already running. It didn’t take long for the two to catch up with the icy Princess. After a good while of running, Rapunzel dared to take a look. A quick glance over her shoulder told her that the rocks where still sprouting everywhere, but slower. “Hey guys,” she panted, “look! The rocks are slowing down!” As the trio came to a hold, they saw that Rapunzel was right. Although they were still coming up sporadically, they were noticeably slower and fewer in number. “What on earth happened back there?” growled Elsa. Cassandra stepped between Rapunzel and Elsa and put her hand on her sword. “Back off. This isn’t Rapunzel fault and you know it so mind you tone!” Cassandra shot back, not hiding the clear threat. Rapunzel saw things escalating very quickly and decides to intervene. “Stop it! This wasn’t anyone’s fault so let’s stop the fighting, okay?” After a final look, Cassandra stepped down. But only a bit. The threating look in her eyes hardly faded. Slightly more at ease, Rapunzel turned to Elsa. “I don’t know what happened. One moment I was at that stone pedestal, touching the rocks and the next I was blasted away. My hair started glowing and then we were running from weird black rocks who were chasing us.” Almost as if it was planned, the moment her hair was mentioned it started shining brightly. It became so bright they closed their eyes. When the light subsided after a few seconds, they opened their eyes and stared in shock at Rapunzel. Her shoulder-long brown hair had disappeared, only to make room for what looked like 20 metres of blonde hair. The Princess in question was staring herself, her hands full. “Ehm… what just happened?”

Since no one had a clue as to what happened, they decided to start walking again. Rapunzel was just staring in front of her, shocked with the fact that her hair was back. She grunted. She’d forgotten how heavy it was. All the memories of her time in the tower and her adventure with Eugene started flooding her mind. She was so lost in thought, it surprised her a bit when Elsa suddenly stopped walking and spun around on her heel. “Do you hear that?” she asked, frowning. Rapunzel stopped walking and listened closely. “Hear what? I don’t hear anything. Do you, Cass?” She turned to her lady-in-waiting. She shook her head. “Me neither.” Rapunzel turned back to Elsa. “What did you hear?” Elsa slowly shook her head. “Never mind. I just thought I heard something, that’s all. It was probably an animal.” She spun around again and started walking. Rapunzel and Cassandra looked at each other. The Princess shrugged and started walking as well.

Maybe it was the adrenaline from their running or the shock from Rapunzel’s hair but it didn’t take long before Corona’s border came in sight. Without any delay they climbed over the huge wall. Despite the fact that it was the dead of night, the horses were still waiting for them. Rapunzel stroked her horse and quickly mounted. From the corner of her eyes she glanced at Elsa who came down the rope and started walking to her mount as well. Despite the fact that Elsa said it was nothing, Rapunzel still caught her glancing behind her on the way back as if she heard some noise. _Is she hiding something? No way, right?_ She thought. _Anyway, I’ll just ask her about it when I confront her. Again._ When Cassandra was down as well, they started riding back to the castle. After all the excitement from the night they had, Rapunzel longed for her soft bed. Maybe it was her imagination but the castle came in view way quicker then on the ride to the wall. What wasn’t her imagination was the fact that Rapunzel saw Elsa very clearly react to something. Riding over the grass plain, there was no way it could be any animal. _I am going to talk to her about this._ Arriving at the palace and surprising the guards on duty, they silently made their way to the stables. Putting away her equipment, Rapunzel wondered about everything that happened. _The rocks, my hair, Elsa’s… thing. I’ll think about it in the morning._

**Elsa**

After Elsa put away all her equipment, she quickly excused herself and went to her room. As she approached the door, the guards in front of it frowned but just opened the door. Elsa nodded and quickly went in, closing the door behind her. As soon as she heard the lock fall in place she ran toward the balcony doors and threw them open. She now realized what the headache had done. It had _opened_ her mind. What the connection with the rocks was, she did not know but when Rapunzel’s hair started to grow, she’d heard it. Elsa had tried to hide it but she knew Rapunzel and Cassandra were suspicious. _I shouldn’t have said anything in the first place!_ But she’d heard it. And kept hearing it throughout their journey back. This singsong… voice.

_There it was again!_

_AH-AH-AH-AH_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, the conversation they have on the ridge with the black rocks is straight from the series. Also, I you haven't seen it, 'the voice' Elsa hears is from Frozen II. 
> 
> Me: You have to update faster. 5 months is too much.
> 
> Also me: I can hear you, but I won't.
> 
> I don't make any promises for a date for the next update.

**Author's Note:**

> I know that this seems very one-sided. Corona is only mentioned a few times and the characters from Tangled aren't even in here. That's because I wanted this to focus on Elsa's side of the story. You can safely assume that everything around Tangled will happen as in the movie. But fear not; Rapunzel, Eugene and Cassandra will be in here, probably around chapter 3. Also, maybe you would think that Elsa is very easily convinced to do something. Please remember that she in only ten and she believes everything her father says to be true. But if it bothers you guys to much, I will change it. As said before, leave any pro's and cons down below and I will try to post chapter 2 as fast as I can.


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